The ‘Wall of Shame’ was a structure which was constructed to effectively split the city of Berlin from 1961 to 1989. It was a conspicuous artifact of the Cold War, a time when the world divided into two football teams, USA and NATO on one side and, USSR and Warsaw Pact on the other.
1. Background of the Cold War
The Cold War was a post World War II bipolar rivalry between the United States and Soviet Union diapered by ideological difference and quests for superior influence. And it was called ‘Cold’ because it did not develop into Hot War which involved Employment of armed forces of two or more nations by collaborating for a common purpose.
2. When was the Berlin wall built?
After World War II, Germany was divided into four zones, each occupied by one of the Allied powers: the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain and France. Berlin too was divided into four sectors, which was under the Soviet zone of control. However, the conflicts arose between the Allied powers and both, East and West Germany arose, and did not have friendly relations.
In order to stop people from emigrating to the West, the communists backed by the Soviet Union, built a physical barrier – the Berlin Wall. It was built with the intention of splitting the capitalist democratic west Berlin from the communist eastern Berlin.
3. Impact of the Berlin Wall
3.1. There are also many physical barriers to implementing the working from home policy due to the loss of freedom.
Berlin divider or Berlin wall was an actual barrier made up of concrete walls, watch towers andргそしてa chain-link fence. It measured to about 155 kilometers (96 miles) and encircled West Berlin entirely making West Berlin cut off from East Germany and East Berlin.
3.2. Families Separated
After construction of the Berlin Wall families and friends were separated by the structure. Most of the time East Berliners could not have relatives that they could visit in West Berlin or other parts of West Germany. This wall came with an emotional cost on the families on the wall.
3.3. Symbol of the Cold War
The Berlin Wall was thus the representation of the cold war between the United States and USSR. It symbolized the separation of the democratic and the capitalist, Western Bloc, and the communistic, Eastern Bloc. The wall represented the division that the US had with the soviet in terms of Ideology and Politics.
4. Attempts to Escape
4.1. Escaping through Checkpoints
Nonetheless, East Germans were still able to slip past the checkpoints and into West Berlin. The best-known checkpoint became Checkpoint Charlie and was situated in the middle of Berlin. Still, the success of crossing the checkpoints was much low.
4.2. Tunneling
Some weary of waiting for permission to cross east and west, some East Germans tried to build tunnels under the Berlin Wall. These tunnels proved as deadly, but they were the only way out for the prisoners. It was dubbed the “Tunnel 29,” and was capable of holding 29 people escaping to West Berlin.
5. The Fall of the Berlin Wall
The demolition of the Berlin Wall on November 9 1989 marked the start of a new world which post cold war. The wall was broken after the following big demonstration and protest. This event led to the reunification of Germany and thus the absence of Soviet control over eastern European countries.
Conclusion
The Berlin Wall was instrumental in the Cold War mainly in the division of Germany into East and West part. It was a symbol of communism and capitalism ideologies. The demise of the wall was one of the most historical events in the world as it brought about unity in Germany and the war in the cold.