As the sign of the Cold War, the Berlin Wall continues to convey the spirit of division of the eastern and the western powers. Built in 1961 and destroyed in 1989 the wall was instrumental in the formation of that era’s power politics. In this article, an analysis of the background, building, reasons for construction, purpose, influence, and ultimate demolition of the Berlin Wall shall be addressed.

The Historical Context

The building of the Berlin Wall was as a result of the cold war between the two world power giants of the time – the USA and USSR. Germany after the Second World War was divided to four zones of occupation under the United States, Great Britain, France and the USSR. This was also evident in Berlin the city also in the Soviet zone was also split into four areas.

Moving forward, Soviet’s contract with the other allied powers of the world soured due to a difference in ideology. After the Second World War, in 1949 America, France, and Britain joined their sectors into West Germany; similarly, the Soviet sectors became East Germany. This division brought about the Cold War era as recognized from historical points of view.

The Berlin Wall Construction

In fact, the construction of the Berlin Wall started on August 13, 1961. Thus, East Germany together with the support of the Soviet Union sought to bar people’s migration to richer West Germany via West Berlin which remained open for people. The wall was also made on a concrete base, having barbed wire on top, watch towers and other security features.

Purpose and Impact

From the onset of East Germany’s construction of The Wall, it served only one major function, and this was to stop the movement of people from the East to the West. East Germans would have been deprived of their basic liberty, have lower chances of getting a job and being controlled even in their daily lives. By building this wall, constructed as a substance that stereotypes the East from the West Berlin, these problems were to be solved.

By implication, the wall greatly transformed fate of absolutely everyone residing the two sides of the wall. People became separated from their families; they struggled in everyday existence. Easter Germans, especially those living close to the Wall were denied the most basic of necessities while West Berlin symbolized freedom a ‘land of plenty’.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

The make it rather convenient and historical to regard such a moment as the falling down of the Berlin Wall. It started at November 9, 1989 when, the government of East Germany allowed citizens to cross the border as they wished. Thousands of birds have rushed to the check point and in a moment of jubilee the breach was made.

The collapse of the Berlin Wall meant the end of Cold War politics and laid the groundwork for Germany’s reunification. The event also restored the belief in democracy, human rights and freedom across the European Region.

Legacy and Lessons

The Berlin Wall also becomes a symbol necessary to learn the negative consequences of splitting people and countries. The wall was symbol of Cold War binary and therefore stressing the importance for dialogue, political negotiations and recognition of fundamental human rights.

In the present generation, the few remaining feet of the Berlin Wall can symbolise victory over tyranny and the force of togetherness. This wall is still there, and the ideology behind it is still there to teach those who will be visiting the place and the world that such division should never be, and freedom and human rights should always be valued.

Conclusion

The Berlin Wall was very much part of the Cold War context and represented a division within a city but also symbolising the continuation of East and West. Its architecture, its function, the changes it brought and its decline even have a historical plaque. The fall of the wall marked reunification of Germany and stood as a testament to victory of liberty over tyranny. There are no reasons to forget history aiming at unity and democracy, seeking respect for human rights and freedoms all over the world, to remember the Berlin Wall as one of the main symbols of the division of the world for decades.