In this blog post, we are going to have a closer look at the political localisation in Berlin which was the heart of the Cold War. This divided city was characterized by ideological division of communism in East Berlin and Democracy in the West Berlin. Alright, let’s start by knowing more about both of them and then defining how different they are.
The Division of Berlin
While in the four years after the war’s end the situation looked like this, namely since the post-WWII Germany was divided between 4 occupations, administered by the USA, USSR, Great Britain and France. The city of Berlin was also divided into four sectors with control in the Soviet zone of Germany.
The political systems of the Allied forces could not agree on a system and in 1949 the two was officially split into West and East Germany. While East Germany officially called the German Democratic Republic, embraced communism as its type of government, West Germany became a democracy.
However, let us examine the political structure of each of the part of Berlin to draw more clear comparisons.
East Berlin: The Communist Regime
East Berlin was an administrative center of East Germany and developed into a true Soviet-style socialist state. The Socialist Unity Party (SED) was the Soviet-style ruling party directed by General Secretary Walter Ulbricht.
East Berlin’s government was authoritarian with authority consolidated, media owned by the state, freedom of individuals restrained and dissidents discouraged. Some characteristics of a commune state were put into practice which for instance includes the common ownership of land and a means of production. The economy was state planned and driven absorbing the aspects of heavy industry and consuming the necessities of Soviet Union.
Sanitary conditions in East Berlin were not so identical as it were at some other places. The employed had decent wages, even the educated could attend school, receive medical treatment and healthcare, and obtain housing, while the others had rationing and scarcities. The best known, the Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961 in an attempt to stop East Berliners from crossing into the West, and even solidified the division between the two halves of the city.
West Berlin: A Democratic Oasis
While the East Berlin grew to represent communism, West Berlin emerged the symbol of democracy in the midst of the Soviet block. The United States of America, United Kingdom, and France upheld the democratic processes, and other values and norms of economic society, representing capitalists system.
West Berlin had better freedom of individuals, free market economy and relations with the western states. The city developed into a centre of culture being surrounded by artists, intellectuals, and other professionals from all over the world. The existence of Allied forces always provided at least some guarantee and safeguard to West Berliners.
On one hand, West Berliners enjoyed all the comforts and privileges of the post-WWII economic boom, on the other they had many problems because of being surrounded by the East Germany. The stand concerning supplying routes like in the Berlin Airlift in 1948-49 when the Soviet Union had blockaded the city, was the promise to uphold its freedom and feed it.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
The division of Berlin ceased on November 9, 1989, by the opening of the Berlin Wall. There are such factors that did contribute to this historic event including economical and political instabilities in East Germany even before the said event occurred.
Wide street demonstrations for democratic change and to tear down the wall separating East from West Germany grew. The East German government after pressure from its citizens announced that citizens were allowed to travel to other countries without hindrance. East and some West Berliners happily crossed and tore down the Wall, signifying Germany’s unification.
In Conclusion
Hence, in response to the question of which was communist: East or West Berlin it is evident that East Berlin and, in like manner, East Germany embraced communism. While East Berlin was a democracy, West Berlin kept a democratic system. Division of Berlin therefore captured the East/West divide epitomized by the Soviet Union and its allies, on one side and the western world on the other side during the Cold War.
The breaking of the wall symbolised a shift in the world history because signaled for the reunion of the two Germanys and the end to communism in the area. Presently, Berlin is united and dynamic city which can give people a lot of memories of the struggle period of history which was passed through by Berlin.
