Introduction

The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension and ideological rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union that lasted from the end of World War II until the early 1990s. One of the key battlegrounds of this conflict was Berlin, the divided capital of Germany.

Division of Germany

Following World War II, Germany was divided into four zones of occupation controlled by the Allied powers: The heads of four nations: the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and France. Same was done for Berlin which was situated in the interior of the Soviet occupied zone.

The Soviets and the western allies fall out both ideologically having different ways of administrations and mode of living. It came into force on May 8, 1945 when the Third Reich was divided between the Soviet Soviet Occupation Zone which in 1949 formed the Germany Democratic Republic / East Germany/ while the Western Allied supported formation of the Federal Republic of Germany also known as West Germany. This division was the start of the Cold War in Germany.

Berlin Wall

East Germany in consultation with the Soviet Union ministers laid a barrier in August 1961, which was known as the Berlin Wall. The wall divided East and West Berlin, thus chopping off the facilities that East Germans sought out in the West.

It was in Berlin where the division of two ideological worlds became materialized in the form of the Berlin Wall. It was heavily barricaded with tall buildings, sharp edges and tear gas, including minefields which made it almost impossible to escape. Attempts at climbing over the wall or digging a tunnel experienced lots of tragic deaths within the years.

Tensions and Confrontations

Many incidents and attacks occurred during the cold war mainly after the division of Berlin. Among events, the most famous was the Berlin Airlift in 1948-1949. In an effort to prevent the Soviets from blocking the access to West Berlin they attempted the Berlin Airlift where they brought in supplies by plane. This operation was able to lift the Soviet blockade and ensure supplies got to West Berlin.

Another event which marked the city was the building of Checkpoint Charlie which was one of the most popular crossings between East and West Berlin. It represented the aggressive aspect of the Cold War as any efforts made by citizens from the West to get to East Berlin was responded to aggression.

End of the Cold War

The cold war ended mainly after the disintegration of the Soviet Union in early 1990s. When at last communism began to fade in Eastern Europe, the Berlin Wall ceased to exist as well. When gates of sentiments opened, on November 9 1989 thousands of East Berliners stormed crossing the divide and led to the dismantling of the Berlin wall. This significant event proclaims and unification of the two Germany’s and the end of the Cold War in Berlin.

Conclusion

The Cold War in Berlin was identified as the time of conflict, rivalry and hostility between the United States and Soviet Union. This paper will examine the construction of the Berlin Wall and the event related to it as the defining moment of this period. However, political change in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, and the unification of Germany meant the end of the cold war in Berlin.

Today Berlin is a symbol of unity and a living sign of the fight against division and peoples’ hardy spirit. The city symbolizes the need to dialogue, to collaborate, as well as to seek for peace while living in the face of impossibly huge barriers.