The Berlin Wall was a very real, and symbolic divide between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. This monumental building existed from 1961 till 1989 and determined political and economic processes, as well as individual fates. Unfortunately, in this article we will follow the simple approach and discuss how the wall contributed to the general flow of the Cold War events.
1. Historical Background
The cold war was a state of hostility and competition between American and USSR immediately after world war 2 had ended. This split was made worse by the division of Germany into east and west after the end of the second world war. West Berlin while being part of geographical East Germany was under allied powers while East Berlin was under Soviet Union.
2. Reasons for the Construction
The Berlin Wall was constructed mainly to prevent the traffic of persons moving from East Berlin to West Berlin. The socialist governments of the Eastern Bloc agents were worried about the brain drain impact of skilled workers, professionals as well as intellectuals. Also, the wall was designed to bar West Berlin from becoming a reception point of subversive operations against the communism system.
3. Impact on Daily Life
Some of the hardships of people separated by the barrier were sad during the division created by the Berlin Wall. Many people from East Berlin could not freely visit their family and friends in the West and the wall greatly impacted of their day to day existence. Escape from the wall was difficult because the wall was surrounded by watchtowers, border guards and barbed wire and many escapees didn’t survive.
3.1. Checkpoints
Overall there were comparatively few crossings where authorized individuals could move from east to west, or west to East Berlin. Some of these were Friedrichstraße, the ‘Charlie’ check point and the Brandenburg gate.
4. Political Significance
Berlin Wall built was a physical barrier that can be described an emblem that signified the division between demoralized west and communized east. It turned into a powerful emblem of the Cold War confrontation of those two imminent ideologies.
5. Cold War Escalation
The Berlin Wall built only made the climate of the cold war even more severe. After its construction the United States and other western allies condemned it as some form of communism barriers while the Soviet Union and its allies justified the constructions of the wall for security.
6. Fall of the Berlin Wall
In 1989 under political tension and desire from many protesters, the Berlin Wall was torn down, and the East and West Berliners were allowed to travel to each side for the first time in about decades. This, as I have pointed above, was a decisive event that could signified the starting point of end of the Cold War and, in general, signified hope and reunification.
Conclusion
Cold War scenario global incidences played a significant part by having the Berlin Wall at the center of the happening. Separated east and west Berlin physically and psychologically in the middle affecting the lives of the people of east and west Berlin. Its construction and collapse demonstrated the division and conflict of ideas between the block heads United States of America and Soviet Union. Berlin Wall can be viewed as the significant historical sign which reflects main events and achievements of this challenging epoch.