Arms Race History

The Berlin Wall was originally a source of division in Europe for the Cold War. The East Berlin region announced that citizens would be able to cross the border into Western Europe. The dismantling of the wall had major significance because it reinstalled the peace between West and East Europe that wasn’t there for over 40 years. Ronald Reagan even encouraged the Soviet Union leader, Gorbachev, to bring down the wall in 1987 and many Americans believed that his speech impacted the tearing down of wall. The dismantling signified the reinstallation of human rights for those that were stuck in the border for years.

The years following the fall of the Berlin wall brought Germany closer together as one country. The east side of Berlin was communist, whereas the west side was socialist/democratic. The Berlin wall was often referred to as a symbol of the cold war and the inner conflict of Germany. It showed the different ideologies of the USA and USSR and their systems of government. Officially known as the “Anti-Fascist-Protective Wall” by the east, and the “Wall of Shame” by the West, it physically divided the city of Berlin from August 13, 1961 to November 9, 1989. The fall of the Berlin Wall was beneficial for the economies of Germany and the US.

June 12th of 1987 held the day when the audience silenced to hear the famous words of President Ronald Reagan in West Berlin (Gaven). “We believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” (Gaven)! Built by the communists in 1961 and surrounding West Berlin, the wall stood as a symbol of

On August 15, 1961, Communists began building a wall to keep Germans from escaping Communist-controlled East Berlin to West Democratic Berlin. There were guards, electric barbed wired fences, and of course the twelve foot concrete wall that prevented Germans from escaping. After the wall was built many Germans still tried to flee the west but not all were successful. The East Berlin Germans were now under total dictatorship of the Soviets. Many United States Presidents traveled to Berlin to share their views on democracy with the Communists, but the Communist weren’t persuaded. In 1987,

Starting in the 1949 with the explosion of an atomic bomb(RDS-1) in Russia and ending with the dissolvement of the Soviet Union, the nuclear arms race was an extremely tense few decades that forever changed the United States in many ways. The Arms Race is exactly what it sounds like; a race to amass more advance weapons. During these four decades, the Nuclear Arms Race affected Americans socially through instilling a variety of emotions ranging from fear, to awe of the power of the nuclear weapons, economically through enlarging governmental role within the economy and mostly importantly, the political impacts were more involvement required by the U.S government in world affairs and as a force against Russia.

These blockades later became the infamous “Berlin Wall”. The wall was infamous because it “stood as a grim symbol of totalitarian socialism” (“Berlin Wall” 2). “The soviets tried to control all of berlin by blockading the roads.”(“Berlin Wall 2). After the building of the wall the Westerners responded with the Berlin Airlift. The Airlift was was series of helicopter flights that supplied the country with food and supplies. The Airlift not only helped them in their food situation but also caused success for the economy in western Germany. The wall was later destroyed after the Eastern Cabinet resigned. On “November 7… hundreds of thousands of Berliners took to the streets, breaching the wall in frenzied celebration.” (“Berlin Wall” 3). This was a momentous day as the effect of the wall was essentially imprisonment for the people on the eastern side. The wall was armed with guards that were instructed to kill anyone who attempted to escape. The destruction of the wall was significant because it displayed how things can be accomplished without violence. Then 21 days later “West Germany outlined a proposal calling for the reunification of the nation” (“Berlin Wall” 3). All in one year the wall that stood as a sign of separation was destroyed and the two sides were

On November 9, 1989, Berlin Wall was torn down, the wall stood for more than just a barrier but years of suffering, sacrifice, and division. This is a huge historical moment in American and World history, it was the last straw in the cold war. My research from primary and secondary sources will reveal significant detail about this event that plays a big part in American

In 1989, one event occupied the spotlight around the world. The Berlin Wall, which for twenty-eight years had separated families and friends came down as thousands of people began crossing Bornholmer Bridge in northern Berlin. NBC’s Tom Brokaw could be seen on television throughout the United States saying, “A historic moment tonight. The Berlin Wall can no longer contain the East German people. Thousands pouring across at the Bronholmer bridge” (Dodds, 2014). This single event changed many things in Europe and around the world. The fall of the Berlin Wall that night, which was the ultimate symbol of the Cold War, was a major turning point in the collapse of communism leading to the unification of East and West Germany and was influenced by political leaders from both the Soviet Union and the United States. The fall of the wall affected the Communist world and eventually led to the collapse of the Soviet Union allowing countries under their control to become independent and free.

The Berlin Wall was erected the night of August 13th 1961. Before the Berlin Wall was built it was a border but without warning in the middle of the night they closed all borders so no one could cross. The border was soon turned in a 3 layered wall. The length of the wall was 96 miles with 302 watchtowers. The wall wrapped around East Germany. East Germany had erected the wall to prevent people from running away from there to West Berlin. People that lived in the east were running away to the west because Stalin was in power and he was trying to make East Berlin turn into a communist country. About 2.6 million people were able to able to escape to live a better life in the west but that was only about 30% of the population. For the other people who were not able to escape, they were forced to stay there since the border was turned into a barrier known as The Berlin Wall. No one

The Berlin Wall displayed the different ideologies between two government systems, how they worked and what the people thought about them. On November 9th 1989, the Berlin Wall finally came down and transformed from a symbol of Cold War communist oppression to an icon of freedom and revolution. It was a very important event in history that displayed change and brought

The Berlin Wall had a major impact on humanity’s views on how society should be ruled. Berlin is the capital of Germany. After the ending of WWII, Berlin was split up into East Berlin, and West Berlin. East Berlin was communist, suffered from the repressions of the Communist Party. West Berlin had a better lifestyle, and had financial aid from the United States. From the years between nineteen forty-nine to nineteen sixty-one, approximately 2.5 million people from East Berlin escaped to West Berlin. This toll included skilled workers, professionals, and intellectuals. Because of the loss of these people, the economy in East Berlin was threatened. On August twelve-thirteen, nineteen sixty-one, the Berlin was built in order to stop the people of East Berlin from fleeing. The Berlin wall was a major point during the Cold War, and many opposed it. It gave another reason to detest communism.

The cold war started quickly after World War 2 ended. The soviet Union and U.S. (United States) were close allies, they then turn to enemies. The U.S. ignored the Soviets desire to impose totalitarian rule and wanted to take over the economy/land. Both countries Started fighting over weapons of mass destruction. The race on creating the largest atomic bomb began. The U.S. were wanting to have the largest arsenal to use against enemy countries. Neither country really understood each other so neither country could really agree with each other because their leaders couldn't discuss a treaty without frustration. ​The U.S. dropped the first atomic bomb (20 kilotons, killing 80,000 people) on Hiroshima in 1945, as well as the second atomic bomb (22

After 28 long years of separation, the border between East Germany and West Germany finally opened on November 9, as an announcement was made by the spokesman for East Berlin’s Communist Party which permitted citizens to cross between the two countries. Over 2 million East Berliners participated in the destruction of the Berlin Wall, as a celebration of the end of the long-lasting division (Berlin Wall).

The arms race was throughout the cold war, which lasted about 45 years. During this time, The United States of America (USA) and The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) were both creating and stockpiling military weapons to use against each other. The belief was “the more nuclear weapons you had, the more powerful you were”. This lead to the development of many extremely dangerous bombs and weapons, which could destroy life on earth. The Cold War was established on the fact that neither side wanted to engage in a nuclear war that could destroy much of the civilized world.

11/9/89: The Berlin Wall for many years served as a barrier between West Berlin and East Germany. It prevented a global view of the future as well by forcing the population of East Germany to be totally secluded from the rest of the world. The fall of the Berlin wall on 11/9/89 changed everything. Not only did this weaken communism, it tipped the balance of power across the world towards democratic advocacy, consensual governance and a free-market economy. The effect was