What War Was the Berlin Wall Built In?
Of course nowadays everybody who is interested in history at least heard about the Berlin Wall, but it is very few people who really know who built it, and in what war. In this blog post, we will explore the answer to the question: what war was constructed the Berlin Wall ? Let’s dive in.
The Cold War: A Brief Introduction
To start with, it is important to mention a little background on which the construction of Berlin Wall was based: The Cold War. After the Second World War, intense anger developed between the USA and the USSR resulting foe ideological and political confrontation – Cold War.
The Division of Berlin
In 1945 after the break of Nazi Germany, new World power Estados Unidos, Great Britain, France y Soviet Union divided Germany into four control sectors. Like other major cities, Berlin located far in the Soviet area was also divided into four zones.
The Berlin Airlift
In 1948 the Soviets again targeted West Berlin by preventing all road and river access to the city making it impassable. This action was taken, obviously, in response to several western endeavors to merge the three western zones of Germany. This the US and its allies answered by launching the Berlin Airlift, during which west Germany was supplied with some critical needs in a one year aerial operation.
The Creation of East Germany
The strife between Eastern and Western powers crossed what might be regarded as a breaking point in 1949 when the Soviet Union forged the German Democratic Republic GDR, or what is familiarly called East Germany. West Germany on the other hand was recognized as a West state in 1949.
The Construction of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a concrete structure for division of East and West Berlin and was constructed by GDR main under the guidance of Soviet Union. They preferred to build the wall during the time when there was no obvious war but during the time of cold war.
The Night August 12 (New Zealand time) to August 13, 1961
The construction of the Berlin wall started at night of the August 12-13 1961. The East German government claimed the building was to prevent influence of ‘Western fascists’ and ensure the purity of the socialist state. But the main reason was probably the surge in emigration from east to west Germany that the program was encouraging.
The Features of the Wall and its Construction
This framework of initial simple barriers was progressively substituted by a more elaborate one. By the time the Wall was finally torn down, it became a single concrete wall with watch towers, a second and third layer of walls covered in barbed wire, and a ‘death strip’ designed to stop the fleeing East Germans.
The Collapse of Berlin Wall and the conclusion of Cold War
Again after twenty-seven years of construction the Berlin Wall came crashing down on November 9,1989 due to civil unrest and the comradeship change in East Germany. This was very significant in history as it symbolized the actual end of cold war.
The Reunification of Germany
The integration came soon after the Germans knocked down the infamous Berlin Wall. East Germany along with the country ceased to exist on October 3, 1990, when the two united to form what is popularly known as the Federal Republic of Germany today.
Conclusion
The Berlin Wall was erected when the world was divided in to two after the Second World War as a barrier between eastern and western Berlin. The wall however was not constructed during a specific war, but resulted from political situation and processes of that period. It remained as an icon of conflict between socialist communism and western liberal democracy. It was headed towards that and in the end it collapsed thus bringing an end to the cold war and the reunification of Germany.
I would like to appreciate the readers for having interest in reading this blog post. We hope that here you found interesting and useful information about the Berlin Wall and its history as well as its purpose.