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The Importance of the Berlin Wall During the Cold War

by | Mar 7, 2024 | Cold War Tour Berlin

Probably the most famous barrier was the Wall in Berlin that was built in 1961, and executed the division of the world by the time of Cold War. It was constructed during the East Germany period, and the concrete divider made West Berlin and East Berlin linked for almost thirty years. We will discuss what role Berlin Wall played and why it was crucial element within Cold War ‘jigsaw’.

The Other Side of Berlin Wall: Origins and Its Actual Purpose

Soon after the end of the Second World War there were disagreements between the USA, the USSR, Britain and France on the future of Germany. Belin was situated in the middle of a Soviet-backed East Germany and the Allies divided it into four zones. But the ideological differences between the Soviet Union and the west continue to widen and become sharper soon leading to the division of Europe into East and West.

Thus, with Soviet backing east German authorities put up the Berlin Wall to keep their population from emigrating westward. The wall was constructed suddenly, that is during the night, and the world could do nothing but marvel at it. Original meaning was to maintain the Soviet grip and prevent the exodus on scale East to West.

The physical and the symbolic importance

The Berlin Wall was no joke and measured over 96 miles and included concrete walls and barb wires, watch towers and other barriers. It represented the physical split of the ‘Free world’ and the ‘Communist world’, in the Cold war.

The Wall did not only divide East Berlin citizens from the rest of the West but also was an emblem of the split during the cold war. It was a reminder of the dictator and people’s power fight; people’s power between the democrats and the communism and this came as a shocker to the world and superpowers.

Impact on Daily Life

The given papers show that the construction of the Berlin Wall significantly influenced the lives of people, or more specifically Berliners as far as families and friends were concerned. Close ones lost touch and families got separated overnight or in days.

Escaping between the East and West Berlin was almost impossible besides passing through some specific corridors. The wall severed most of the possible interactions that can take place in an open society by immediately halting cultural, information and business interchange between the two areas. The East Berliners had no freedoms, less opportunities and more censorship than West Berliner, which created more tendency to reunification process.

Attempts to Cross the Wall

Nonetheless, due to the might of the Berlin Wall, many people could try different kinds of escaping. Some attempted to make underground escape, others forced opened windows, and many escape by squeezing inside cars.

Thus, escape attempts were fatal and as many as people perished in an attempt to free themselves. Such incidents of Peter Fechter and Conrad Schumann makes it clear how desperate people were to get to the western side of Widder Technological barrier no matter what price they had to pay.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

This was until November 9th, 1989 where the Berlin Wall that depicted the Cold War separation of Germany came down. On this historic day the wall has come down and German unification just around the corner and so was the Cold War.

That was not a surprising moment, but the result of many factors, including mass protests, political changes, and a global change of tides. The reunification of the two sectors of Germany put a solemn conclusion to the physical and political barrier that was characteristic of Germany for so many years.

Legacy and Lessons Learned

Here people can recall the tragedy of division and the victory over the division of the world and peoples. It may be regarded as a Generalized Spirit of Cold War wherein Millions of people lost their lives.

Today in Berlin people can see the pieces of the Berlin Wall, which convey the idea of the conflict should not be solved with the help of build walls. It should inspire hope for further realization that sometimes none of the barriers are unassailable provided that people are willing to fight.

The Importance of the Berlin Wall During the Cold War