The Berlin Wall : After World War II Essay

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

After World War II, Germany was divided into two halves, as well as Berlin. The United States, Great Britain, and France occupied the western portion of Germany and the western half of Berlin. The eastern half of Germany and Berlin was occupied by the Soviet Union. This led to major differences between the two halves of Germany. This also led to the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961. Each side of Germany had different economies, held separate ideologies, societies, alliances, and political systems, and each side dealt with the memories of World War II in a different way.

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.

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

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.

These blockades later became the infamous “Berlin Wall”. The wall was infamous because it “stood as a grim symbol of totalitarian socialism” (“Berlin Wall” 2). “The soviets tried to control all of berlin by blockading the roads.”(“Berlin Wall 2). After the building of the wall the Westerners responded with the Berlin Airlift. The Airlift was was series of helicopter flights that supplied the country with food and supplies. The Airlift not only helped them in their food situation but also caused success for the economy in western Germany. The wall was later destroyed after the Eastern Cabinet resigned. On “November 7… hundreds of thousands of Berliners took to the streets, breaching the wall in frenzied celebration.” (“Berlin Wall” 3). This was a momentous day as the effect of the wall was essentially imprisonment for the people on the eastern side. The wall was armed with guards that were instructed to kill anyone who attempted to escape. The destruction of the wall was significant because it displayed how things can be accomplished without violence. Then 21 days later “West Germany outlined a proposal calling for the reunification of the nation” (“Berlin Wall” 3). All in one year the wall that stood as a sign of separation was destroyed and the two sides were

The fall of the Berlin Wall symbolized a key turning even in diplomatic and government powers as it showed the supremacy of capitalist government system and brought the downfall of many communist countries.

The Berlin wall was put up in 1961 to prevent the spread of communism and to separate Germany from Berlin. Mass protests and revolutions led to a chain reaction which caused the wall to fall. On November 9th, 1989 the wall started to fall, the military eventually began to help taking down the wall, this was the beginning of German reunification.

In August of 1961 one city became two separated by a wall. Families were divided and lives torn apart from the separation. The East side was ruled by communism while the West side was democratic. The wall became known as the Berlin Wall, and it stayed there for twenty-nine years. During that time, East Berlin became terribly poor under the iron fist rulings of communism. West Berlin, on the other hand, prospered economically. Then, in 1989, the wall finally began to fall as citizens of West Berlin began to hack away at the wall.

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 wall split germany in half with the united states and its allies on the west and communist russia on the east, starting on august 16th 1961 the communist government would build 76 miles of fence and 11 foot high walls attempting to keep influence of free market capitalist nations out and their own communist ideals in, Over 100 people died trying to cross the wall surrounded by guard towers and barbed wire. People who lived inside the wall knew nothing but what the state told them or what the state wanted to tell them. Until the fall of the berlin wall in november of 1989 around 45 years since world war 2 ended, families and communities were finally able to be brought together again without a wall separating them. Many also mark this as the fall of the USSR considering they dissolved two years later in

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.

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