Welcome to our blog post, where we aim to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the conflict surrounding the Berlin Wall. This formidable barrier divided the city of Berlin and its people for nearly three decades, leaving a lasting impact on both sides. Let’s explore the historical context, reasons for its construction, its effects on the people, and the eventual fall of the Wall.

The Historical Context

In the aftermath of World War II, Berlin, the capital of Germany, was divided into four occupation zones controlled by the Allied powers: The United States, Great Britain, France and the Soviet Union. The conflict escalation of western and eastern countries led to what we know today as the Cold War. Berlin is located far into the depth of the area controlled by the Soviet Union, becoming the central point of this drama.

Reasons for Construction

The Berlin Wall was constructed to address several key issues that arose as a consequence of the ideological and political differences between the Soviet Union and the Western powers:

• • Preventing emigration: East Germany was in the late 1980s economically and politically in problems, and this prompted the beginning of an immigration occurrence towards Berlin in West Germany. Due to its proposed policy of brain drain, the Soviet Union was scared of losing its talented service staff.
  • Strategic importance: With construction of the Wall, the Soviets sought to seal East Germany and insure that the citizens of the German Democratic Republic did not defect to the West. It served as a physical divider of the world.
  • Political statement: Wall acted as the propagandistic structures emphasizing the existing and belonging ideological division between the East and West.

• Impact on the People

The construction of the Berlin Wall greatly affected the society of the Berliners and the civil liberties of the population of the whole world. Here are some key points to consider:

• Physical and emotional division: Family ties were severed, children were separated from parents, friends from each other, and neighborhoods from neighborhoods, literally by a wall. There was a psychological impact in that individuals suffered the loss of ability to communicate with their friends and family members.
• Escaping to the West: Nevertheless, many tried to cross the Wall either over or under it since the chance at survival away from the creature-infested area was much better. Some did and others got thrown into prison or killed.
• Political tension: The Wall was gradually associated with the spirit of the tyrannical regimes of the East and the fight for liberation. It exacerbated the East –West superpower conflict The split further aggravated the relation between the super powers of Eastern and the western worlds.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

When the Cold War began to ease and transformation occurred in Eastern Europe, the physical barrier called the Berlin Wall came crashing down on November 9, 1989. This pivotal moment was a result of several factors:

• Public pressure: There were more demonstrations for liberty and for reunion with West Germany, which increase pressure over the East Germany authorities.
• Political reforms: Due to Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union; the policy of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) improved the climate of the Berlin Wall.
• Opening of Hungarian borders: By opening its border with Austria Hungary contributed to thousands of East Germans fleeing to the west through Hungary.

The break up of the Berlin wall was the key point that well depicted the entire period of cold war and giving way for reunification of Germany.

Conclusion

The key to East and West confrontation during the Cold War was the struggle for the construction of the Berlin Wall. Its construction and eventual collapse touched the lives of Berliners and those of the global society in general. Investigating this historical enmity is useful to prevent such ideological rift in a modern society and to grasp the results of such split.