Berlin was in the centre of the ideological conflict during the Cold War, from the late 1940s through to the early 1990s, which lasted a daunting time of almost half a century. Berlin was divided into East and West, creating for the city and its citizens an anomalous set of challenges and opportunities. For this blog post, we will delve into how the Cold War impacted Berlin and how the city changed over this chaotic time.
The Division of Berlin
After World War II, Germany was divided into up to four zones of occupation, each under occupation by one of the victorious Allied powers, the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain and France. Other than that, Berlin was not only divided into four sectors, as was Berlin itself, deep in the Soviet-controlled zone.
Berlin was a symbol of the broader East versus West cleavage that occurred during the Cold War.
The Berlin Wall
In 1961, the construction of the Berlin Wall became the result of the great tension between East and West. A barbed wire, concrete wall and watchtower separated the East from the West.
The Berlin Wall symbolized the hostile divide between East and West, a powerful symbol of the Cold War; it was also a source of individual tragedy. People died trying to cross the wall, families were separated.
As a Showcase of Ideologies: The Cold War
The line between capitalism and communism was drawn in Berlin, center of the Cold War. The Allies helped West Berlin maintain itself as a symbol for freedom, prosperity, and democracy while East Berlin was sucked into the web of Soviet style socialism.
While it was an isolated palm in East Germany, West Berlin thrived as an enclave that was fed by the Allies. Economically prosperous, it gladdened many of those under communist rule and was a beacon of hope.
The Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Airlift was one of the largest events from early years of the Cold War. The Allies, in response to Moscow’s closing off Berlin in the West by a blockade in 1948, organized a massive airlift to supply the city with basic goods, staving off isolation.
It was a commitment by the Allies and the thousands of flights that brought food, fuel and supplies to West Berlin for nearly a year in a ‘Battle of Berlin.’ The Berlin Airlift provided a powerful symbol of resistance and solidarity with the Soviet aggressor.
The Effects on Everyday Life
Economic Differences
Berlin was divided, and its separation between East and West was stark economically. Left cut off from its natural economic hinterland, West Berlin relied on the Allies for its survival. That was compounded by the introduction of the Deutsche Mark in West Berlin.
On the other side of the wall, East Berlin emerged as an example of Soviet style centralized economic planning, offering far less to consumers and lower living standards than the West.
Brain Drain
East Berlin’s living standards were vastly superior to those in the West and it’s freedoms limited, so leaving in droves were many of the East’s more skilled professionals and intellectuals. Development of East Berlin suffered from the loss of human capital.
Social Division
It fostered a kind of social division and isolation among the people of the city. Far from winning us all round, the Berlin Wall, which divided families, families and people from East Berlin from their friends, families and people of the West, had an immensely negative impact on education, commerce and travel. Crossing the Berlin Wall, however, meant very harsh consequences.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
The pressure for political change grew as the Cold War drew to a close. They finished getting the Berlin Wall opened in November 1989, after months of protests, so that people could travel between East and West Berlin in a free way.
The fall of the Berlin Wall was a grandiose chapter in history, a signal to break off the Cold War and bring Germany together again. The division of Berlin gave way to a burning desire in the years that followed to become a city unified once more — free from the scars of division and a byword of hope and reconciliation.
Conclusion
Berlin was so shaped by the Cold War: its physical shape, economy, and society. The partition of the city into East and West ended in the Berlin Wall constructed dividing the city into East and West versions, offering unique challenges for its inhabitants. However, the city had also become a perfect symbol of resilience and hope — as history turned a corner and the fall of the Berlin Wall brought that about. Today Berlin is a monument of unity and victory of the human spirit.