Nearly three decades after it went up, the Berlin Wall, a symbol of Cold War and a divided Germany, fell in 1989. It split East and West Berlin physically, but it also was the hard ideological and political divide between communism and capitalism.
Understanding Communism
If we are to understand what the Berlin Wall and communism is, we must first understand what communism means. A socio economic system where there are no private owners of the property, i.e. all the property or all the means of production are owned collectively by the community. It wants to build a classless society where everyone works according to what he or she can give and where what is available it is distributed based on people’s needs.
The Communist Bloc
After World War II, Europe came to be divided between the Western (mostly, the United States) and the Soviet Union. A group of socialist states under Soviet influence appeared, the Eastern Bloc. One of these states was East Germany or German Democratic Republic (GDR).
This is The Berlin Wall (this)
However, as the Cold War heated up many of the East Germans fled the Soviet side for the better economic opportunities and freedom that was rampant in West Germany. In 1961, East German leaders, urged on by the Soviet Union, built the Berlin Wall to stop people from fleeing mass exodus.
The Purpose of the Wall
The overall theme of the Berlin Wall was to keep people inside East Germany. It was a physical barrier building with guard towers, barbed wires and other fortifications. The East German government said the Wall had been erected to protect itself from Western imperialism and to defend socialist system.
Impact on Everyday Life
The Berlin Wall has caused a huge impact on daily live of Berliners. People found themselves on one side or another, separating family and trapping individuals. It also stood for the big schism between the West’s capitalist system and the communist system in the East.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
Then the political climate changed in Europe in the late 1980s. The calls for political reform and greater freedoms grew louder in East Germany and other countries of the Eastern Bloc. The East German government made the surprise announcement that the border crossings would be open on November 9, 1989.
The Unification of Germany
The Berlin Wall came down, and eventually Germany was again united. Begun in 1990 as part of reunification, reunification was achieved officially on October 3 of that year. The ideological barrier of the Wall split Germany in two; the Wall came down, and Germany became one country again.
Legacy and Lessons Learned
The Berlin Wall reminds us of political division and of the boundaries of an authoritarian regime. It is a symbol of hope, and human longing for freedom. Even to this day, the lessons learnt from both the construction and fall of the Wall are important parts of European and world history.
Conclusion
The Berlin Wall’s East side, then, was representative of German Democratic Republic’s communist ideology. Also, it was a part of bigger Eastern Bloc, which followed socialism and Soviet influence. Eventually the fall of the Wall led to the reunification of Germany, and gave us a powerful reminder of the value of freedom, and the failure of communism.
