The separation of the city of Berlin into East and West occurred on August 13 1961 by construction of a real fence called the Berlin Wall. This concrete wall and the fences, the guard towers there, were telling of the Cold War and division of Germany. But why has East Germany, also, called officially the name of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), to construct the Berlin Wall?

The Need for the Berlin Wall

Before we delve into the causes of constructing the Berlin Wall, one needs to provide the background information. Following the end of World War II, Germany was divided into occupation zones controlled by the victorious Allied powers: such as the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain and France. Berlin, right in the middle of the Soviet zone, was also subdivided into sectors and consisted of four sectors only.

With time, relations between the Soviets and western allies worsened which created an aspect of communism between the east and the west. Crossing this ideological divide became the primary purpose for building the wall known as the Berlin wall.

The Reasons Behind the Construction

1. Brain Drain

There was a mass exodus of ‘brain’ capital when skilled workers, together with professionals left East Germany in search of even better economic lives and freedom. According to these projections, probably nearly three million East Germans fled to West Germany by 1961.

2. Economic Challenges

The effect in this case is that, widely referred to as ‘brain drain’, the highly qualified residents of East Germany took flight. With a scarce human resource base and loss of talent capital, East Germany could not continue with economic growth. The government built the Berlin Wall to stop people fleeing the country and intended to keep skilled people inside East Germany.

3. Political Stability

The increasing rates of the flight to the west also posed problems to the stability of the GDR. More to the point, the government remained concerned that continued emigration would erode the socialist order and their influence over society. In their quest to build the Berlin Wall they simply wanted to ensure political stability coupled with socialism.

4. Soviet Influence

The eastern bloc nation led by the Soviet supported the construction of the Berlin Wall. It was used as a form of demonstration of their willingness to guard their interests and retain sovereignty over East Germany. The structure of the wall also had great symbolic meaning while presenting the separation between the western capitalist democracy and the Eastern bloc communism.

The Impact of the Berlin Wall

The construction of the Berlin Wall had far-reaching consequences:

1. Human Tragedy

In a very real way, it ruined lives – it ripped apart families and friends who were violently separated by the Berlin Wall. Some people tried to flee from East to West at the cost of their own lives, many of whom died in the process.

2. Geopolitical Symbol

Thus, the epoch making symbol of the cold war which divided Berlin was the wall. It underlined the cold-wars’ split of ideological and geographical divide between the Soviet and the western world. Its presence was symbolizing the fight for freedom and how much even more established governments are willing to suppress their people.

3. International Pressure

Fischer: The construction of the Berlin Wall spoiled the image of the GDR and was met by international condemnation. The reason why the construction was regarded as the violation of human rights and as the obstacle towards freedom of movement. It aggravated the super powers’ rivalry and at the same time, put much focus on East Germany’s policies.

4. Fall of the Wall

It has actually been almost twenty eight years since the construction of the Berlin Wall and it was only on November 9, 1989 that the Wall came falling down. It was a turning point which brought the end of the Cold War and the Germans’ Being one again.

Conclusion

The main reason for the construction of the Berlin Wall is largely historical and fundamental – the requirement of East Germany, which has a number of economic problems in its development, the need to retain highly qualified personnel in industries and specialist service sectors, and political and social stability during the period of the Cold War. They also symbolized the Cold War battle line between the East and the West blocs during a time when the globe was boarded into those two halves. But its history is one of people dying, of nations fighting for their symbolism, and, in the end, for liberty.