The Cold War was a conflict during 1947-1991 of capitalism vs communism after World War II between powers in the Western Bloc (the United States, its NATO allies, and others) and powers in the Eastern Bloc (the Soviet Union and its allies in the Warsaw Pact). Some believed that freedom and democracy would be vanished under communist rule, which caused the United States to enter into this conflict. During World War II, decisions made by the U.S caused tensions to escalate between the US and the Soviet Union. The feud between the US and USSR influenced the Korean War and the building of the Berlin Wall, which were just two of the many conflicts between these two powerful nations. Korea and Berlin were affected, but more importantly, all countries …show more content…
Just three years after the end of World War II, the blockade was the first major clash of the Cold War and created future conflicts over the city of Berlin. Moreover, this had an impact on Berlin geographically. By 1961, Cold War tensions over Berlin were running high. East Germans built a wall to close off access to the West. For the next 28 years, the Berlin Wall stood as a symbol of the Cold War, a literal “iron curtain” dividing Europe. Winston Churchill gave a speech about the Iron Curtain which grew emphasis on containment of Russian and communist expansion. In addition, Soviet hostility toward West Germany was growing due to the Marshall Plan, this plan gave money to Western European countries to help rebuild their economies. Eventually, the Berlin Wall was torn down on November 9th, 1989 when President Ronald Reagan pleaded to President Gorbachev “Tear down this wall!”. This opened up the barrier that divided West and East Berlin since 1961. Therefore, the wall was a symbol of the growing tensions between the westernized government and the communist Soviet
Following World War II the alliance between the U.S., Britain and The Soviet Union began to unravel as the USSR pushed for the spread of communism which threatened America and the free world. For the next few decades, America’s leaders would need to strategically combat the expansion of the iron curtain and communism. Issues broke out all over the world but the most significant “battles” were that of Berlin, Korea and Cuba. The U.S. contained communism in Berlin by remaining persistent, in Korea by battling, and in Cuba by taking caution.
The Berlin Wall seemed to symbolise what the Cold War meant to so many, a clash between good and evil. The Berlin Wall was built to attract the attention of US president at the time, John F Kennedy, who was to visit the wall. In 1949, Germany was split up into two operate groups. The German Federal Republic, known as West Germany, and the German Democratic Republic, better known as East Germany. Many of the population of East Germany, fled to the other side of the country being West Germany.
The Cold War was the name given to the relationship between the U.S.S.R. and U.S.A. after the end of World War II. Germany was the representation of the war, and therefore, it became the most disputed country. The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 during the Cold War. During late 1950s and early 1960s, the socialist government decided to build a fence across the city border and restrict access to the Western area. Over time, this fence became a brick wall, completely cutting off access to the west, leaving family and friends separated for almost 30 years. The Berlin Wall marked the different ideologies between the different systems of governments, how they functioned, and the meaning to the people.
The cold war started in 1947 between the USSR and the USA.The berlin wall was one of the most significant symbols in relations to the cold war. Although the wall was a crucial factor that helped in bypassing what could have turned out to be world war three, many would agree that it impacted on the lives of german citizens in both positive and negative ways. People had their families split up because of the wall and there were also very limited supplies getting into west berlin due to the blockade.
This was a leading climatic event in towards the end of the 1980’s marking the end of communist regimes around the world, making it evident to even average citizens that change was coming. The Berlin Wall stood as a symbol for the two opposing sides of the Soviet Union and the United States. In 1949, Germany split into two different nations. Germany was a central hub for Cold War politics, with the West side allying with democratic states and the East side allying with the Soviet Union. The end of the Berlin Wall marked the end of the Soviet Union’s status as a reigning power in Eastern Europe, with the Soviet Union falling not long
On November 10, 1958 the Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev made a speech, that demand the western powers to pull their forces out of West Berlin within a couple of months. Three years of political disputes, the Soviet Union constructed a barb wire fence in the middle of the night surrounding West Berlin, which in the long run would affect millions of lives in the coming years. With this said some of the locals of Berlin called this wall the anti-fascist protection barrier, to the world we now this as the Berlin Wall. During the life span of the Berlin wall a lot of things happened like improvements to it, and what people did to get to freedom until the day that the wall was torn down. Nikita Khrushchev took the role as premier when Stalin died which gave him the power to control the Soviet Union.
The person I choose for this topic is Ronald Reagan, he is a big part on how the Cold War ended. Russia, as everyone knows, has always been competitive with the U.S.A, the two countries always go back and forth with each other to be the first at everything. Now the Berlin Wall had been there for some time, ever since 1961. The communist government of Eastern Germany created the wall because they wanted to prevent disaffected people who were trying to fleeing to the West. But with this little did they know the trouble it would cause for the future. There were four powers during the time, Russia, France, Britain, and the United States. Berlin was in the Russian sector, but because the powers were only split amongst four countries it became a
The Cold War was a geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle mainly between the two superpowers, The United States of America and the USSR. Although the USSR and US were the two superpowers that initiated the conflict, other countries such as Vietnam, North and South Korea, and Cuba had major involvement in the Cold War. The US was a capitalist country while the USSR was a communist country. There are many reasons, that when combined caused the Cold War to start. Some of the most important reasons were the fear of the USSR’s expansion of communism into Eastern Europe
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
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.
A pivotal and iconic part of the beginning of the Cold War was the blockade of Berlin in 1948. Why and how did it begin?
After the Second World War, the United States of America entered a new war with the USSR that involved little fight but instead contained large amounts of arguing and threats. The Cold War began on 1947, just a few years after world war two. The Cold War started because of the tension between the United States and the USSR with the USSR wanted to establish communism on German soil while the United States wanted to democratize Germany. This went against the beliefs of the USSR, so they threatened to wage war on the United States. Most of the Cold War was filled with arguments and oversea threats, fighting was done in proxy wars, such as the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Before the Berlin Wall was built, there was already large amounts tension
The Berlin Blockade was where the Soviets closed all the ways in for the americans and britians to help the people of berlin. The Soviets only did it because they did not like the way we introduced a new way of currency in Berlin.
The Berlin Wall is a historical symbol of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall is a symbol of the end of the Cold War. And also, the Berlin Wall played a great role in the life of millions of people and defined the fate of German people, which put them apart by the Wall for a long period of time. Sixteen years after the end of World War II, the communist government of East Germany began building a wall on (August 13, 1961), that would divide the city of Berlin into East Berlin and West Berlin. The purpose was to keep fascists from entering East Germany, but mostly to keep West German citizens, primarily people of valuable professions such as doctors, teachers and engineers, from Changing side to the West. People of Berlin Called the wall Schandmaur, which actually means " The wall of shame". Over the years of the wall being constructed it took at least 3x times to rebuild it, but each time bigger than the last one.
The Berlin Wall being a symbol of the suppression of human rights in Eastern Germany during the Cold War contributed towards the desire of Capitalism in Western Germany. Kennedy’s refusal of the Western powers in leaving Berlin and assurance that he would not allow the people living in West Germany to fall under communism. Khrushchev’s decided in cutting all contact between the two halves of the city which was virtually impossible for people “behind the Iron Curtain” to cross to the West except East Berlin to West Berlin. On August 13, 1961, The East German government made a border of barbed wire and soldiers armed with machine guns between East and West Berlin. 3 days later, work started on a 45 km concrete wall. Anyone who crossed the wall