The Berlin Wall: A Devastating Place?

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.

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

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.

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 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, 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.

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.

Berlin Wall, known as the Iron Curtain, divided and separated the entire Europe in two. Berlin Wall was meant to stop people from escaping to the West. Many people didn’t have a chance to react before the wall was set up. No one was allowed to cross to the other side without permission. Tens of thousands of people were separated in just one night. On both sides, separated brothers, sisters,

In the East, people were unable to leave and people were unable to get many luxuries such as coffee. Families were separated by the Wall and many died trying to get over it, or in some cases, under it. The Berlin Wall meant to many people a loss in human rights and freedom.

The Berlin Wall was a wall set in place to try and stop the flow of emigrants between east and west Berlin. After World War II, the Allied forces split Germany into four occupation zones. The United States, Great Britain, and France all got the three western Germany sectors, while the Soviet Union got the East

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 Berlin Wall symbolized many things for different people. For the Germans it served as their punishment from World War II, this punishment divided up their country and separated many people from their families who might have lived in different parts of Germany. Everyday things that were accessible to them like going to the grocery store or visiting family members were now made harder since in order to cross to the other side of the wall people would have to go through security checks. The Wall also represented death because if someone were to try to escape to the other side of the wall they would be shot dead. To other countries the Berlin Wall represented communism as well as division between two different forms of government. During

These various mechanisms are utilized to manage any means of divorce by an individual, wether it be in the instance of a home, or a country. As portrayals of the respective individuals in East and West Germany reacting to the Berlin Wall, these affected characters lapse into: isolation, be it personal or cultural, negative esteem, conflict of past to present ideals, and a difficulty understanding purpose in this new life from spilt foundations. While these coping techniques are employed to make sense of what has happened to them before and after the fall of the wall, their harsh nature raises questions. Why does Damiel choose to fall from immortality, to experience these gruff, mortal feelings first hand? Secondly, why do Alex and his mother choose not to cross the

European history has always interested me and one of the events we covered in my World Cultures history class was the Berlin Wall. I wanted to spend more time on the topic because I love all history and it interested me. I am sure we learned a little more than what I remember of the Wall but I know is the basic facts. We glazed over it and pretty much just acknowledged its past existence then moved on. We recalled it was in Germany and was a result of many previous and ongoing conflicts of the time. One night I was watching a documentary on the eighties by CNN and they quickly mentioned the Berlin Wall being knocked down. It brought this time period of history back to my attention. I wanted to read about on my own time but I did not. Having an English paper be about this captivating event helps me find the time.

I remember when the Berlin Wall was built during that bleak, brutal winter of 1961. I was woken up with a start in the middle of night by the rumbling of the trucks and the deafening cacophony of construction work outside my window like the blast of Gabriel’s horn. My mother, ever the pragmatist, said that it was simply a power play between the Russians and the Americans and that it would surely be gone by the summer. I believed her, too, until one evening when I put my ear against the paper-thin walls of my bedroom and heard her muffled sobs and the low, reassuring murmurings of my father as summer came and went.