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When Was the Berlin Wall Built? Understanding the Cold War Divide

by | Mar 7, 2024 | Cold War Tour Berlin

The construction of the Berlin Wall marked a pivotal moment in history, symbolizing the division between East and West at the height of the Cold War. This iconic structure, which stood for almost three decades, separated the communist East Germany from the democratic West Germany. In this article, we will explore the historical context and the key events leading up to the building of the Berlin Wall.

The Cold War: A Brief Overview

The Cold War was a period of intense geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, which lasted roughly from the end of World War II to the early 1990s. It was characterized by ideological conflicts between the two superpowers and their respective allies, with each side vying for dominance and spreading their own political and economic systems.

The Division of Germany

At the end of World War II, Germany was divided into four military occupation zones, each administered by one of the Allied powers: the Unites States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain and France. Like in the case of Prague, Berlin was also divided into four sectors, all in the Soviet zone.

When the Soviet Union and the western allies started arriving at their prolonged clash the disposition of the two sides worsened. West Germany was formed in 1949 and east Germany in 1950. These separate entities reminded of ideological bifurcation which was emerging between East and the West.

This paper focuses on the Construction of the Berlin Wall .

The barbed-wire barrier and the border crossings were constructed by the GDR on August 13, 1961. It was built to curb the rising flood of East Germans, seeking political asylum in West fed up with the socialist system that was being imposed on them.

Reasons for Building the Wall

The East German government insisted that they built the wall to shield their people from imperialism and stop the flow of many skilful workers. However, it was also used in a way to help govern the people, and to make sure that no one else would run away.

This pertains to both internal and external physical infrastructure, and security measures in place for gaining physical access in to the organization.

To hold off would-be escapees, the concrete Wall was backed by watchtowers and an inner ring of fencing enveloped an extensive no man’s land. It stretched about 155 kilometers and surrounded West Berlin thus consolidating its blockade to East Germany.

The wall was built in phases, the first being a barrier made of barb wire and wooden blockage at best. It became progressively more developed over the years, including concrete cubes, watch towers, anti-car dikes and barbed and electrified wire.

Reconstruction and Demolition of the Wall

This paper seeks to establish social and economic consequences of the vaccine hesitance within the developed and developing nations.

In the paper, it is described that construction of the Berlin wall had significant impact for both sides of the divided city. People were forced to part with their loved ones and the itself the city of Berlin turned into an emblem of the confrontation. East Germans were enclosed by the border, had restricted freedom of movement and economic growth.

Nonetheless, the building of the wall also had its drawbacks and the worst was on the east germans. It has become the symbol of protest and togetherness in the country, that called for protests and was internationally condemned. Thus the wall grew into an iconic view where democracy was sovereign of communism.

The Fall of the Wall

November the 9th, 1989 was the day the East Germany government gave an incredible statement that people could now freely travel. Tens of thousands of people gathered near the wall, and after a historically significant moment when the border guards opened the border. The current reunification process began with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent disintegration of the Type II bipolar system of a few years later and the subsequent end of the Cold War.

The Legacy of the Berlin Wall

After the fall of the Wall itself the latter has acted as a symbol of freedom and the tragic result of political partition. Today some parts of the wall standing as monuments and as signposts of opinions about the necessity to be one and avoid building walls.

In conclusion, the construction of what is infamously known as the Berlin wall in the year 1961 was one of the event in the cold war period. The wall depicted division of Germany into two, and freedom of the east Germans from the tyranny of communism reflected in this movie. One can appreciate freedom and results of division, when knowing what has led to the construction of the Berlin Wall and learning about it.

When Was the Berlin Wall Built? Understanding the Cold War Divide