Constructed to establish a border between the two parts of Germany and the city of Berlin genuine name for East Germany is the German Democratic Republic and for West Germany it is the Federal Republic of Germany. They served as a symbol both physically and metaphorically from 1961 up to the year it came crashing down in 1989.
Historical Background
For the purpose of occupation after World War II Germany was divided into four zones each of which was under the control of the Allied powers. East Germany was under the soviet union and west Germany was under the administration of the United states, the United kingdom and France. The city of Berlin too, standing in the deep heartland of the Soviet occupied East Germany too was split into four quarters.
Kicking the Wall – The Construction of the Berlin Wall
After war, East Germany witnessed some economical as well as political turmoil resulting in huge number of its citizens immigrating to west Germany through Berlin. This led to a brain drain and further reduced the economy of the German Democratic Republic.
In order to solve this problem, East Germany with help of Soviet Union decided to construct a barrier to halt the exodus of its population. The construction started at night of 12 August 1961, thus physically splitting Berlin into eastern and western parts.
The wall was about 155 Kilometers (96miles) long and had guard towers, barbed wire fences and a death strip. The death strip was made with gravel, sand and anti-vehicle trenches, so making any attempt to escape was well nigh impossible and very dangerous.
Effects of the Berlin Wall
Lot of changes had occurred in the life of persons of both the sides due to Berlin Wall. Husbands could not call wives, children cannot talk to parents and visa versa; communities were split apart. This wall became the representation of the differences between the democratic world and the communistic one.
The life inside West Germany was rich, with a powerful economical base and free personal choice. At the same time, East Germany experienced political repression with fewer and limited economic freedoms as well as freedom of movement.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
The feeling of dissatisfaction with the regime and social conditions increases constantly throughout the time and people started to protest to have democracy and the freedom of traveling rights. This intensity was at its climax of was on the 9th of November their government through a surprise announcement gave the green light to its citizens allowing them to cross the border. Many people assembled the checkpoints and with the help of guards around the border; the Berlin Wall was climbed.
The dismantling of the Berlin Wall was one of the most symbolic actors which changed the history of Europe. It marked the cold war demize and the official joining of the eastern and the western Germany the unification which actually occurred in October 3, 1990. Germany after reunification became a representation of hope, unity and freedom.
Conclusion
East Germany possessed wall known as the Berlin Wall that divided communism from democracy in Europe. It was constructed with the purpose to put a meaning to thousands of people’s life and influenced the world politics tremendously but then it fell. Now only several sections of that wall survived to tell the story of that disastrous division and power of unification.