This is our guide to the Cold War and the Berlin Wall. In this article, I will discuss Historical background of these critical period thus focusing on the understanding of the historical events, importance of these critical period in history. Regardless of whether one is a fan of history that is learning about the Cold War and its effects on Berlin for the first time, then this guide will prove to be useful.
1. Understanding the Cold War
The Cold War was a global conflict that was being waged between the Americas and the USSR, and spanned across the 40s right up to the early 90s. It was defined by competition in the political, economical and military realms, although there was never an out right war between the two super powers.
1.1 Origins of the Cold War
The Cold War started immediately after world War II as two superpowers – the United States and Soviet Union. Several factors contributed to its origins, including:
- Soviet Union as a socialist-representing communism and United States as a representative of capitalist regime.
- The competition of power over the international leadership.
- The suspicion that occurred due to the previous wars and betrayal which are parts of the history.
1.2 Key Events of the Cold War
The Cold War was marked by various significant events, including:
- The Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan: Intended for prevention of the expansion of communism.
- The Korean War: A proxy war between the superpowers; the US and the USSR.
- The Cuban Missile Crisis: A dramatic contest related to Soviet missiles in Cuba.
- The Space Race: A race to lead in space exploration.
2. The Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall is a barrier built by East Germany in the year 1961. It divided Berlin into two parts: Of two districts – East Berlin which was under Soviet occupation and West Berlin which was occupied by the allied forces.
2.1 Causes of Construction
The construction of the Berlin Wall was driven by several factors, such as:
- This has been through the defection of large numbers of young skilled talents, and intellectuals from the Eastern Berlin to the western side.
- divestiture of people and money that East Germany had to endure.
- The need of the Soviet Union to curb people’s migration to the Western world.
2.2 Life Before and After Walls
Life in Berlin before and after the wall was drastically different:
Before the Wall
Availability of active industries and employment chances.
The freedom of people to move within East and West Berlin.
Sec 3 – Isolation and Limited Contact.
After the Wall
There are tight conditions as to what and who can enter or cross that wall.
Inter-culture relations / Social assimilation.
The economic downs in the eastern part of Berlin.
3. The Fall of the Berlin Wall
The effects of the break up of the Berlin wall in 1989 were enormous. That it marked the end of the Cold War and re-unification of Germany. The fall was primarily fueled by:
- The calls for independence and liberty by people.
- The pressure coming from the ground up through the movements and protesters.
- Shift in political climate due to the Soviet Union changes of the political regime.
4. Legacy and Significance
The Cold War and its mechanical creation called the Berlin Wall has a lot of history to its credit. It touched on political systems and economic modalities, diplomatic preferences and alignments, indeed geo-strategic ideologies. Some key legacies include:
- New world powers and their impact on the existing and newly-emerging world economic systems.
- International tension and nuclear weapons.
- The influence on regional wars and small scale conflicts.
- The effect of communality on social and cultural and economic differences between the former east and west.
At the end of this extensive Bibliography on the Cold War and the Berlin Wall, we trust that you have gained further necessary knowledge of them. This movie beautifully tells a story about Cold war and division of Berlin and serves a purpose to recall people about diplomacy, cooperation ad ensuring human rights are not violated.