The Berlin Wall-Article Analysis

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.

On the night of August 13 th , 1961, police officers strung barbed wire across the border of

In June of 1987 U.S President Ronald Reagan gave a speech urging for the destruction of the Berlin wall and the reunification of Germany. The speech begins with President Reagan complementing the strength and resolve of the people of Berlin. The speech quickly changes its focus to: the Berlin Wall, the Division of the German people, and the problems created by the governments of the communist world. Reagan then mentions that progress is being made with the Communist East and wishes for the same in Berlin. He then reverts back to failures of the Communist East and the strength of the German people. Regan finishes the speech with the idea that the will of the

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 world was shocked when it learned of the entrapment of of citizens of East Berlin. The wall was put up by Walter Ulbricht, forcing East Berliners to live under communist rule. Built in 1961, the Berlin Wall separated the communist nation from the rest of society. Friends and families were divided by the wall, prompting thousands of escape attempts that left at least a hundred people dead. Eventually, in 1989, the Berlin Wall was torn down, two years after President Ronald Reagan demanded it. For twenty eight years the freedom of East Berliners was encircled by a wall that stretched for ninety one miles, limiting the encounters of East and West Berliners. Lack of exchanges between East Berlin and the rest of the world left many economic

Berlin Wall or no wall? It separates freedom and communists. In my opinion, I think the wall should be torn down. The wall separates families, no one has equal rights, and the wall is not good for the economies. The wall should come down.

The Berlin Wall was built on August 13, 1961. It was built because millions of East Germans were defecting to the West via West Berlin. In the documentary it was said that before the wall was built one person every three minutes was defecting to the West. This was threatening East Germanys labor force and its economic survival. The GDR said the official reason for the wall was to keep out anti-socialist influences.

On August 13, 1961, the Communist government of Germany began to build a barbed wire and concrete wall between East and West Berlin. The purpose of the Berlin Wall was to keep the Western extremist from entering East Germany.

“…Indeed, under certain conditions, our obligations are to resist unjust and unfair schemes, and this can include a duty to disobey a law” (Richard Dagger). An example for this quote would be The Berlin Wall in Berlin, Germany from 1961-1989. The Wall was set up to keep the fascist West Berlin away from Communist East Berlin. However, the wall was fuel to the fire of civil disobedience in Berlin, Germany. Most of the civilians undertook civil disobedience to fight the Berlin Wall. They wanted to have more freedom in their lives and they did not want to be separated from their loved ones, so the civilians resisted their government and their

On November 9,1989 the German rulers finally allowed the Wall to be taken down. The Berlin Wall was according to Rosenberg “a physical division between West Berlin and East Germany in order to keep East Germans from fleeing to the West” (Rosenberg). History always seems to repeat itself because even in modern times the usage of a wall to keep people from moving in large number is still viable. Nonetheless, like the Berlin wall and the Great Wall of China before that, walls are just that walls and unfortunately they are not enough to keep individuals from getting to the other side.

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.

In the essay, “ Editorial on the Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall,” the author portrays bias on the side of Gorbachev in his role in the Cold War. For example, the author says, “Today Mikhail Gorbachev is a political pariah in Russia and increasingly forgotten in the west. But history will remember him generously for his crucial role in ending the Cold War and pulling back the Iron Curtain.”(Lines 2-5) The author really expresses his bias right of the bat in this essay but announcing the importance of Gorbachev. He tells the reader how the public has forgotten Gorbachev but history never will. He also says, “He deserves to be remembered for what he did and, perhaps what he refused to do. With a wisdom and decency that is sadly rare

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.

The investigation will answer the question of “What lead to the construction of the Berlin Wall?” The construction of the Berlin Wall is a significant part of history that needs to be properly investigated to understand the motives and impacts it had on the citizens of Berlin and the people of the world. This investigation will focus on analyzing valuable sources such as Berlin: The Wall is not Forever, The Ghosts of Berlin: Confronting German History in the Urban Landscape, and Daily Life Behind the Iron Curtain. These sources have detailed accounts of the daily lives of those impacted as well as other relevant information both before and after, relating to the events that may have led to the construction or the impact that the fall of the wall had on the citizens of Berlin.

On November 9, 1989; an event occurred that changed the county as a whole; the Berlin Wall fell. This significant event represented the end of communism in Germany. The German Democratic Republic (GDR) reunited with the Federal Republic of Germany on October 3, 1990; one year after the Wall fell. When the Berlin Wall fell, both East and West Berlin became physically reunified. There was no longer a wall standing in between the two sides and from here on out, two cities became one once again. This was a physically reconnection of two sides of East and West Berlin and the beginning of the loss of identity for those had previously lived in East Berlin (Leventhal).