The Berlin Wall, although famous as a Cold War symbol, was a physical barrier established in 1961 and complete by 1962 to separate Berlin—the capital of the German Democratic Republic (GDR)—from the city in the west portion of the country. Built by the German Democratic Republic (GDR), commonly known as East Germany to stop East Germans from fleeing to West Germany, the wall divided the city into two parts and kept the Berliners in their pits. It was a concrete expression of the East / West ideological split in the Cold War.
Background of the Cold War
The Cold War occurred after the World War II, between the US and the Soviet Union, at a time when they were political enemies. The characteristic of it was a competition between ideologies, capitalism and communism, and the race for the world’s influence. This ideological conflict was so important that Berlin, the capital of Germany, became a stage for which.
The Berlin Wall constructed
After World War II, East Germans began to come to West Germany in search of better economic opportunity and freedom. Because East Germans were crossing over to the West in such great number to escape the GDR, the GDR government was worried about its dwindling population and brain drain, and so it decided that it would build a separating wall to keep East Germans from crossing over to the West in any direction. The Berlin Wall was built beginning on August 13, 1961 and it cut West Berlin off from East German territory.
Physical structure of the wall
The Berlin Wall spanned an impressive 155 kilometers (96 miles) and had a concrete barrier, 3.6 meters (12 feet) high. There were guard towers, anti vehicle trenches and barbed wire. Year after year the wall was reinforced to make it more and more difficult to cross.
That wall was not a wall of cement, it was a series of barriers – strung with trip wires and attack dogs, armed guards in a ‘death-strip’ between two parallel cement walls, and other deterrents. If an escape attempt was made, the consequence was severe and such as imprisonment or death.
Impact of the Berlin Wall
Social and political results
However, the Berlin Wall was also social and political. People were confined to their respective sides, the children and the adults, the families and the friends. Under repressive regime, East Germans were living with restricted freedoms and only limited access of outside world. The wall separated a nation divided and represented the huge contrast between East German communism and West German capitalism.
Attempts to Cross the Wall
The risks of being caught, many East Germans tried to crawl over the wall to freedom. Others even attempted to climb over, dig holes under or even use homemade hot air balloons or zip lines to escape. They showed the desperation and testament to wanting to live life free from restrictions enforced by the wall.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
The pressure on East Germany came as the Cold War came to an end and communist regimes collapsed across Eastern Europe. In the weeks of peaceful protests leading up to that, the GDR government had announced that it would allow citizens to visit West Germany freely. And as people poured toward the wall, on November 9, 1989 the guards eventually wavered and a holiday crowd tore down the wall.
Reunification of Germany
The Berlin Wall fell marking an historic moment, when the Berlin Wall fell it meant the end of the Cold War and Germany reunited respectively. Reunification with the Soviet Union started in 1990 and, 10 years later, October 3 1990, the Germany became united as a country for the second time. On the way the wall came down, a new era of peace and cooperation was opened.
Conclusion
The Berlin Wall was a material marker for the ideological schism between East and West in the era of the Cold War. It divided families, curtailed liberties and had major political overtones. But its fall was a moment of hope, marking the end of the Cold War and the reunification of Germany. The rest of the wall today acts as a powerful reminder as to the significance of freedom and unity.