The Berlin Wall: A Turning Point In World History

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,

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 was a wall that was up to 15 feet high, which separated East and West Berlin during the Cold War. It lasted 28 years from 1961 and 1989. Throughout this time period, many people living in East Germany left and fled to West Germany because they had a better economic system. Since their lost in WWII, East Germany built the wall to prevent access to West Berlin. Because of this separation that lasted 28 years, many families, friends and relatives were separated. The wall slowly progressed to become even more advanced so that it would be harder for people to get to the other side. About 5,000 people survived, 5,000 people got caught and 191 more were killed. People were willing to do anything at any means just to get over the wall

On August 13, 1961, the GDR( German Democratic Republic) began to build a fence with concrete slabs. This fence and concrete wall would be known as the Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall was built to keep Western “fascists”, followers of a political side, out of East Germany. The GDR also wanted them to stay out because they would weaken the socialist state. In June of 1945, when World War II was ending, the GDR split the nation into four “allied occupation zones.” The Eastern part of Germany went to the Soviet Union, while as the West joined the U.S, Great Britain, France’s land (Berlin Wall). The three point six high metres wall was made up of concrete, further down, barbed wire fencing lines forty-one miles

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.

The infamous Berlin Wall was built in 1961. But that wasn’t everything. First, France, Great Britain, the U.S., and the USSR (Soviet Union) split Germany into East and West Germany. Both countries then went on two astonishingly different paths. The German Democratic Republic (East Germany, or GDR) was ruled by communism (a system where everything was supposed to be shared, and the government owned everything. In other words, Communist life was dull, repetitive, and unadventurous), and Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany, or FRG) by democracy. East Germans detested their environment and many of them left by the time the USSR built the wall. The reason East Germans could do this was because of the easy access East Germans had to West Berlin, just as you and I do to Canada or Mexico. The notion to simply take over West Berlin popped up many times in communist party meetings. The USSR once even threatened the U.S. with nuclear weapons over West Berlin.

On August 12, 1961, the Berlin Wall was built to separate East Berlin (German Democratic Republic) from West Berlin (The Federal Republic of Germany). The Wall has a “ 66 mile concrete section that was 3.6 metres high, with a further 41 miles of barbed wire fencing and more than 300 manned lookout towers”6 and was meant to separate superpowers Britain, France, and the United States from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). It lead to countless problems such as social separations, family breakages, starvation, deaths due to low living standards, hatred among politicians within a country, among others. The Berlin Wall perhaps helped the American policy of containment winning people's support.

"8 Creative Ways People Went Over the Berlin Wall." Mental Floss. 12 Nov. 2015. Web. 12 Apr. 2017.

A wall. A structure standing 11 feet and 8 inches tall ran through a country torn between two Government systems. A wall separating families, loved ones, neighbors,and friends. A wall is all it took to destroy a country. During the aftermath of World War II Germany was split into two separate parts and not only was the country separated but so was Berlin. Berlin Germany was separated into East and West Berlin. East being the cruel communistic state and West Berlin being a Democratic state. Otherwise known as “the loophole”, West Berlin was an escape from communism. Many people decided that communism wasn’t for them and starting pouring over into West Berlin. This angered the Soviet Union because Communism allowed everything to be controlled by the Government, this in return meant every citizen had to share the wealth upon themselves. Most fled to West Berlin because in a Democratic society you have the opportunity to grow and make your own money. The Soviet Union had, had enough, on August 13th 1961 the border between East and West Berlin has been permanently closed. The next day on August 14th 1961, the Brandenburg gate was closed. From here on, Berlin turned into horrific situation.

For twenty-eight years, the Berlin Wall separated friends, families, and a nation. Between 1961 and 1989, the Wall was one of the most striking and distinctive features of Berlin. The Berlin Wall was a border security installation built by the German Democratic Republic (GDR) on August 12, 1961. The Wall was to protect the GDR from aggressive acts by the west. In reality, the Wall functioned as a barrier to stem the huge migration of skilled laborers to West Berlin and the entire Western Germany. During the standing of this Wall, the people from East and West Berlin had no interaction with each other, and this brought pains and poverties in both sides

Germany was split four ways (see picture to the left) between the United States, France, Britain, and the Soviet Union after World War II. The United States, France, and Britain controlled West Germany and West Berlin in a democracy. Whereas, the Soviet Union controlled East Germany and East Berlin with communism. “About 2.5 million” people fled from East to West Germany between the years of “1949 and 1961.” In Germany the U.S.S.R. built a wall that surrounded West Berlin. The wall was built because they feared that the loss of more people would “threaten” their economy. The wall “symbolized the difference between [how] western democrats and eastern communists” (C., R., & S., 2012) believed that the country should be run. In Germany the USSR built a wall that surrounded West Berlin. They built this wall because they feared too many people were fleeing East Berlin and even East Germany for the freedoms in West Berlin. (History Channel, n.d.), (History , n.d.).

The Berlin Wall was a symbol of division between two different political beliefs and two different ways of life. The population during this time was about 3.4 million. This started the Cold War and ended it. Just because of one mans (Nikita Khrushchev) approval to raise the wall; the citizens of Germany were forced to live twenty- eighty years without freedom. Berlin Wall also known as the “Iron Curtain” was ninety six miles long and twelve feet high. The Berlin Wall erected in the dead of night. Just past midnight, while Berliner’s were sleeping, crews of soldiers tore up the streets dug holes to set up concrete posts and fixed up barbed wire on top. Telephone wires were cut off between the wall. The Berlin Wall had very few openings. For example, the main access opening was called “Checkpoint Charlie”. It was used for allies personal and westerners to cross the border. It was decided during World War II when Germany lost, that Berlin was to be divided between America, France, and Great Britain. The Soviet Union started the war and wanted to spread communism around Eastern Europe and West Germany did not want that. This turning point was a physical symbol of the Cold War.

Walls that divide are destined to be destroyed. In August of 1961, the Berlin Wall was erected for one sole purpose: to prevent the emigration of East Berliners and Germans to the democratic West Berlin. However, the wall did more than just this; for twenty-eight years it separated friends, neighbors, and even families. The Berlin Wall was one of the most powerful symbols of the Cold War until its fall and marked the fall of communism in Europe. Focusing on its emotional and physical impact on Germany, this paper will examine the factors that led to the wall’s formation, how the wall changed Berlin, East and West; and how Germany conquered its partition. It closes the paper with the analysis of how the wall, twenty-five years after its destruction, impacts Germany today.

East Germany desperately needed to stop this mass evacuation. The reason that people were leaving was because of the easy access East Germans had to West Berlin. Desperate to keep its citizens, East Germany decided to build a wall to actually prevent them from crossing the border, (Taylor, 205) because this way, they knew that it would become harder for people to leave, fascists would not be able to enter and weaken the socialist state, and East Germany would not be losing most of its population. Also, the Berlin Wall was commonly known as the “Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart” by the German Democratic Republic, implying that NATO countries and West Germany countries were all fascists and fascists were not wanted in East Germany (Taylor,257). Many people see the Berlin Wall as a barrier between people and their loved ones and their freedom but it is seen this way because most people are not aware West Germany and the NATO countries being fascist and capitalist