Gorbachev and the East German Revolution

Did Gorbachev implement Glasnost with the aim of turning the Soviet Union into a democratic capitalist economy?

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.

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

President Reagans vision was finally achieved when the end of Soviet control of this region and eradicated communism throughout Eastern and Central Europe, entering an age of freedom and democracy. In November 1989, the Berlin Wall located in East Germany –a symbol of Soviet tyranny nearly three decades–was torn down by the German people. The peaceful reunification of Germany followed in 1990 and this was the end of communism in Eastern and Central Europe.

The Berlin Wall, built in August of 1961, was s physical symbol of the political and emotional divisions of Germany. The Wall was built because of a long lasting suspicion between the Soviet Union on one side and Western Europe and the United States on the other. For 28 years the Berlin Wall separated friends, families, and a nation. After WWII was over Germany was divided into four parts. The United States, Great Britain, and France controlled the three divisions that were formed in the Western half and the Eastern half was controlled by the Soviet Republic. The Western sections eventually united to make a federal republic, while the Eastern half became communist.

After World War Two, Germany was war ravaged and destroyed. The Allies, Britain, France, United States and the Soviet Union occupied the war-torn and defeated Germany. Germany was split into two sections. The Western part controlled by the U.S., France, and Great Britain. The Eastern part of Germany was controlled by the Soviet Union. Tensions between the West and East emerged during what became known as the Cold War period (1945-1989). The difference in ideologies and ideas led to close calls to war between the west and east. Within the Eastern part of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), society was being controlled ruthlessly by the government. In Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall, Anna Funder discussed the struggles East Germans

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 aftermath of World War II left two separate powers ruling over post-war Europe, each with radically different ideologies. On one side NATO, a collection of western democratic societies, on the other The Warsaw Pact, a collection of communistic states led by the Soviet Union. After the fall of Nazi led Germany in World War II, Germany was divided into two different zones, West Germany and East Germany, with West Germany being divided into three different sectors being administrated by The United States, The United Kingdom and France, while East Germany being administrated solely by The Soviet Union. Berlin the capital of both East and West Germany was further divided into two zones much like Germany itself with a democratic West administrated by NATO and A communistic East administrated by the Soviet Union. This was problematic however as the capital is completely surrounded by East Germany. This would lead to a series of increasing border tension between the East and West that would eventually lead to the construction of The Berlin Wall.

A continuous trend of decline in the economy in the 1980’s threatened an even worse economic performance in the future, shown by example of the continued decline in capital and labour productivity (Bunce, 223). Consequentially, Mikhail Gorbachev’s ‘new thinking’ focus was on reforming Soviet agriculture and the domestic economy (Suri, 78). Gorbachev instituted two programs: ‘perestroika’ (‘restructuring’ of economic management) and ‘glasnost’ (‘openness’) early in his time as leader, which aimed to put the Soviet Union on par with the economies of the capitalist countries such as Germany and the United States by decentralizing economic controls, and to allow open discussions relating to social and political issues (Encyclopædia Britannica). However, ‘perestroika’ “generally lacked precise goals and any coherent framework of application” (Shearman, 129). Through the ‘glasnost’ program, the power of the Communist Party was reduced paving the way for an elected form of government. Gorbachev began to democratize the Soviet economy, initiated competition and profit incentives as well as linking wages to productivity (van der Veen, 122). At the time of Gorbachev’s ‘new thinking’ approach, many Western observers were divided on whether Gorbachev was instituting genuine change, or

The Berlin Wall was much more than a geographical border. On either side are two ways of understanding politics, culture, ideology, humanity itself were consolidated. On November 9, 1989, when it collapsed peacefully, Eastern Europe had to reinvent itself, and West found that not everything was a gulag on the other side of the Iron Curtain. The ruins of the wall today are a scar that has something of a symbol: the wound in history have left major totalitarianisms of the twentieth century (Taylor).

“Whilst East Germany became one of the richest and most advanced countries in the Eastern bloc, many of its citizens looked to the West for political freedoms and economic prosperity.”5 For example, East German citizens that once owned their own businesses were forced to work hard and laborious hours for the government, while getting hardly anything in return. “I was physically and psychologically destroyed—so many injustices. I took two years of therapy to recover. I suffered from a real psychological breakdown,”5 stated an East German factory worker. This is a clear depiction of why communism denies the individual the right to economic and social prosperity, and the result of the lack of these basic human rights were recognised by other countries, therefore putting a halt on the communist movement at the

Could you imagine a large wall being built right in the middle of a city to split it? Well this is how the Soviet Union and the United States had to deal with during the Cold War. The Cold War was a broxing War between the Soviet Union and the United States that lasted from 1947-1991. This paper will be written about the Berlin Wall. I will be writing about why they built and what they made this out of, people escaping, and why the wall ever actually fell. Well, first of all In 1945, at the end of WWII, Germany and the city of Berlin were divided into four zones, each controlled by one of WWII’s victors. America, France, and Great Britain had west Berlin, also known as the Federal Republic of Germany, and the

The 1980s encompassed a critical turn of events of the Soviet Union. Its economy and agricultural industry were crumbling. Advanced technology was lacking and factories were inefficient. Citizens had no choice but to purchase low quality products, as a result, and social freedoms were inadequate. Additionally, foreign affairs such as American rearmament and tensions throughout the Soviet Bloc negatively impacted Soviet stability. In an effort of reform, Mikhail Gorbachev, Soviet Union General Secretary, stepped in to improve the communist system my implementing democratic principles. He introduced the concepts of perestroika, which means to reconstruct, and glasnost, which means openness. Glasnost allowed for increased freedom of the press, while perestroika allowed for governmental reform. One of these reforms included marketplace changes in the economy. Gorbachev wanted to de-monopolize businesses and eliminate price controls. In addition, political reforms introduced contested elections in which multiple candidates were allowed to speak out. The goal was to mimic the success of capitalist countries like the United States and Germany by giving citizens a say in the government. Unfortunately, Gorbachev’s changes did not help the Soviet Union. Even though foreign

#1. In the late 1980s, Soviet Union had brought its glasnost (openness) era. Soviet president Mikhail G. introduced the revolutionary idea of Perestroika, which refers to “economic restructuring.” Gradually, Soviet’s culture and business began to grow. The political parties began to spring up, and farmers began to sell their products on the open market. In 1987, the Kremlin passed a new law on the joint ventures, easing restrictions on the importation of foreign capital, technology, and expertise.

The Berlin Wall, a heavily monitored and weaponized barrier between eastern and western Berlin that was built by the communist controlled east Germany on August 13th 1961. The Berlin Wall was an important symbol of Germanys development after the war which can be seen through the motives behind its construction, the effect this split had on Germany, and its demolition on November 9th 1989. A symbol of the separation between democratic and communist powers, the Berlin Wall would prove to be a product of the tensions between these two ideologies and the source of grief in a separated Germany.