The Damaged Eyes of the Berlin Wall I never expected to look forward to my own destruction. Normally, us walls look forward to staying up for eternity, and to watch the different types of people interact, and to see various events happen around us. When I was being built, I immediately felt a feeling of dread. Everywhere around me was dark and gloomy, people would point and stare, and others would fight to choose a side. The reason to my construction was quite unfortunate, it was a purpose to divide two groups of the same people and have them both live terribly different lives. My significance is I kept East and West Germany apart for years, and my destruction was one of the best things to happen to Germany. On a cold night, on August 13, 1961, I was constructed around West Berlin, encircling them for more than 100 miles. I was 28 miles long and approximately 11 to 13 feet high (Ic.galegroup.com, 2017). If it had not been for the barbed wire surrounding on me (Ic.galegroup.com, 2017), I would have assumed I was just a normal wall, but this is not the case. I was a wall of separation, a wall of death, a wall that people loathed. And I could not blame them one bit. I was… to say the least, “attached to concrete, and surrounded by guards and tank traps” (Ic.galegroup.com, 2017). On one side of the wall, what was called East Germany, everything was dark and monitored, guards were stationed at several places. Meanwhile, the other side had a lighter and happier tone. No one
For thirty years, an iron curtain lay across Germany. This iron curtain was called the Berlin Wall, and it represented the divide between East and West Germany. It also represented the loss of East Germany’s freedom and democracy. The Berlin Wall separated families and friends. This resulted in children growing up without a father and wives losing all communication with their husbands. The Berlin Wall poorly affected many people and businesses, and caused an ugly dent in Germany’s history.
Wall was a turning point in world history because it kept the East German population from
The Berlin Wall had been in place for 26 years. Increasing unrest was occurring in Berlin, and at this crucial time Ronald Reagan, as several presidents had done before him, traveled to the Brandenburg Gate, seen by most as the symbolical center of the wall. On June 12, 1987, he then spoke of peace between the USSR and the Western world, while motivating Berliners to help take down the wall and come together as a nation once more. Throughout the speech “Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate”, by Ronald Reagan, he makes use of imagery as well as appeals to ethos and pathos to incite the German people to rise up and destroy the Berlin Wall, reunifying Germany.
THESIS: From research and historical analysts, we can conclude that in many cases the people of Germany have been effected socially and economically by the building and construction of the Berlin Wall.
In Berlin, the Iron Curtain had many purposes. It was there to protect, to separate and to enforce a way of life for East Berliners. Firstly, The Wall gave meaning to people’s lives in different ways. It defined where they were to go, who they were to see and who they were to be. For the countless Stasi and informers, it gave them a purpose and an importance in society, and after The Wall came down, that purpose was lost and yearned for. Secondly, The Wall and the controlling ways of the Stasi loomed over the lives of East Berliners, and its implementation was just one of many extreme measures to minimalise Capitalism and encourage Communism. Thirdly, although The Wall
On November 9, 1989 the Berlin wall came crumbling down. For 28 years the wall did nothing but make everyone's life worse. However, when the wall fell everyone’s lives were about to be impacted for the better. Families were reunited, friends saw each other again, and peace was restored. The fall of the wall marked the winding down of the Cold War, and started a new age where communism would cease to exist. Much of the credit was being given to Ronald Reagan, who had visited the wall just a few years earlier. When Reagan gave his “Tear down this wall” speech, no one could’ve predicted, that it would lead to the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, and the eventual end of the cold war. Although as a result all communist governments in Eastern Europe had come to an end, would be replaced by “democratically elected governments”. With all this, there was a glimpse of peace and a time of rejoicing for all of the world. ("Fall of
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
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
People commonly imagine there being a heaven and a hell on earth and if one is a good person and fulfills their duties the gate to heaven will be opened to them, but if they took a turn for the worse hell would be upon them. Innocent, once free citizens of East Germany were coerced into a hell they had no way out of, severed from family relations on the other side of the wall. The East was afraid of change and controlling everything they could; while the West was free and overflowing with opportunities. Two distinctive places, yet still connected through their optimistic love that passes right through the wall. Not only did it connect those two countries, but nations all over including America. Ronald Reagan made it a point to address that they were strong, determined and faithful to the future progress of their country. It would have been easy for the Berliners to
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.
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 August 15, 1961 the Berlin Wall was built. I was only ten years old at the time. I was separated from my family, so all I had was my life long friend, Leo. I've always wished the wall to be destroyed, so I could see my family again, but my wish has never came true.
Ronald Reagan advocated for the removal of the Berlin wall, as best portrayed when he famously said on June 12th, 1987, in his speech before the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin Germany, “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!” President Reagan strove to bring freedom to all people, not just to his own. He strove to abolish big government systems like communism and bring justice to ordinary citizens. Along with President Reagan’s efforts, statements Gorbachev made and the East Berliners rioting in protest of their government contributed to the fall of the wall. Still, the fall of the wall shocked the world. On November 9th, 1989, the government of East Germany declared that the wall would be open. At first, people of East Berlin could not believe the news, but after the truth settled the people rushed to the other side. Some five hundred people crossed before the Berliners began tearing the wall down to be reunited with West Germany. Meanwhile, America watched the event on television, celebrating the freeing of a repressed people and the dissolving of a totalitarian system. Though the fall of the Berlin wall did not affect the majority of the American population on a personal level, optimism for the future surged. After forty-four years of Cold War, the
Two photographs, one captured at the beginning of the wall and the other at the demise of the wall, paints a picture of Berlin’s struggles to become one. Paul
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.