Berlin Wall Impact

The Berlin Wall was erected on August 13, 1961. After World War II, Germany was divided into four Allied occupation zones; Berlin, the German capital, was also divided into occupation sectors, even though it was located deep within the Soviet zone (History.com). In post war Germany, Cold War tensions grew, from situations such as the Berlin Blockade and the US’ Berlin Airlift (History.com). Not only were Cold War tensions growing but East Germany was now under a communist system (History.com). West Germany was in better condition because, unlike in East Germany, it received financial aid from the Marshall Plan (Burkhardt, H). Another big problem was the two different currencies used; West German currency, which was also use in West Berlin,

wire and fences (Fall of the Berlin Wall). Life for the Eastern and Western Germans was

     Even today Germans are seeing the effects of the wall. To Frank Schulz, a 35-year-old Berlin postman is a prime example of the effects. Six days a week, Schulz sets off to deliver 100 kilos of mail heaped into leather bags on his bright yellow Post Office bicycle in a Berlin neighborhood called Kopenik. Despite the arduous labor, Schulz is paid about $2,400 a year less than most other German mailmen. Schulz is an Ossi, the German

Germany was split in two by the Berlin Wall from 1961 to 1989. This wall had many reasons to be torn down but one reason it was up was to separate Eastern Germany from Western Germany. This separation would cause many issues at the tearing down of the wall in 1989. The reason Eastern Germany was separated from Western Germany was because Eastern Germany was controlled by the Soviet Union, due to the Cold War. This wall was built to stop the communist Eastern Germans from seeking refuge in non-communistic Western Germany.

Section three of Patrick Major’s book Behind the Berlin Wall: East Germany and the Frontiers of Power published in 2010 from the Oxford University Press Inc., called The Fall of the Wall: 9 November 1989 is about developing the reasons for the fall of the wall. The author starts with describing the political, financial and economic situation in East Germany and the other eastern

When the wall was put up one thing lead to many other things. If a mother had gone to say the west side of berlin for a couple of days while her family was in east berlin where they live during the time period that the wall had been put up, the mother would have to maybe wait some time before she could go back to east berlin with her family. When the wall was put up many scenarios just like this had happened and many families actually were split apart. Families being split up could lead to the other family members trying to get into the side they are on which was now considered illegal and if they had been caught trying to cross the wall they could have been shot on site. People trying to cross from east to the west was very common as it was believed that west was the more favourable side. By 1961 around 3 million east Berliners had gone over to live in the west this impacted the people living in the east because many who had moved were skilled labourers such as doctors this meant that there were only limited doctors for the

The wall was a symbol that represented communism and a deprivation of freedom around the world. In West Berlin the wall was known as the “wall of shame”, while the East side claimed it abolished the discord in Europe. People all around the world had different names for it, but one thing was for sure as long as the wall was up peace was not at rest.("Remembering the Berlin").

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.

Following the fall of the Third Reich at the end of WWII Germany was split between east and west into two different countries. In the east the German Democratic Republic was under communist rule and was supported by the Soviet Union. The Federal German Republic was a democracy that was part of NATO. As part of the division of Germany following WWII, Berlin, the capital of Germany was divided evenly between the two nations. However, the entire city of Berlin was deep inside of the GDR, so the Western half of the city was democratic but it was surrounded by communist territory. This made West Berlin a place where many East Germans would try to escape to. As a result of this the German Democratic Republic built a wall surrounding West Berlin to stop its own people from escaping to freedom.

The Wall was built because of a long lasting suspicion among the Soviet Union on one side and Western Europe and the United States on the other. Once World War II was over, these Allies no longer had a common purpose to hold them together. Their differences became less hidden and more irreconcilable. The Western Allies quickly realized they couldn't "kick a dog when its already down", and that Germany was in desperate need of help." Therefore, the Allies' aim was to rebuild Germany's economy. The Soviet Union disagreed with this plan immensely, and instead they became busy with setting up Communist

The end of World War II in 1945 had Germany Divided Four Allied occupation zones. The eastern part of the country went to the Soviet Union, and the western part goes to the United States, Great Britain and France. Each section was under the control of a different country. The United States, Britain, and France each joined their sections to form a democratic state on May 24,

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.

In 1961 there was a wall build with barbed wire to separate the east and the west in Berlin. This resulted in a riot from the citizens who proceeded to attack offices, military officials, and threw rocks at military vehicles like tanks and cargo trucks. The people of Berlin were outraged, people were forced away from their friends and family and were not allowed to cross the border of the wall because Khrushchev wanted to gain control of the entirety of Germany.

After the wall had been torn down, besides the new ability to freely travel, the Washington Post explained the effects, “it was really a process that took several months, a process that consisted of the physical deconstruction of the wall, countless changes in people’s daily routines, and a mental shift — which was perhaps the biggest hurdle of all,” (Fisher). The Imperial War Museums said, “Germany reunited on 3 October 1990, 11 months after the fall of the Berlin Wall,” (What Was the Berlin Wall and How Did It Fall?). The Wall Street Journal added, “the policies rushed into play to restore the unified nation are largely seen as a success, if an expensive one, that paved the way for Germany to take the stage as Europe’s political and economic centerpiece,” (Roth).

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