During the Cold War period East Berlin and West Berlin stood separated by the Berlin Wall. The German Democratic Republic built the wall in 1961 to stop people from going to the West. People often mistake Adolf Hitler as the builder of the Berlin Wall when in reality the German Democratic Republic built it.
The GDR Built the Berlin Wall
Walter Ulbricht as General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party ordered the German Democratic Republic to build the Berlin Wall. The Soviet Union built the partition during World War II confrontations between allied powers because of political and ideological divisions.
The Division of Germany
When World War II ended the Soviet Union and other Allied nations took control over four Rome-sized areas that made up Germany. As one of Germany’s three main cities the Soviet Union France United States and Great Britain maintained the same rule over Berlin.
Hitler’s role in World War II and Nazi rise ended before the Berlin Wall got built and without further connection. During the Cold War rivalry between the Soviet Union and Western countries East Germany experienced Soviet control.
The Berlin Wall Served Its Main Function
East Germans built the Berlin Wall to stop people from escaping across West Berlin into West Germany. The Socialist Unity Party saw serious damage to East Germany when educated people migrated to other countries in large numbers.
Construction of the wall separated people and nations with physical barriers including concrete walls guards towers and barbed wire. The wall split Berlin citizens from one another creating deep emotional suffering throughout both parts of the divided city.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
On November 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall finally came down after enduring 28 years of existence. The Berlin Wall fell because many people demanded change and because Soviet power declined combined with peaceful dissent actions.
The Berlin Wall’s collapse developed from many factors beyond acting by a single individual. Different elements shaped this outcome including Soviet leader Gorbachev’s regulations East German economical hardships and public demands for reunification.
The Reunification of Germany
The unraveling of the Berlin Wall started Germany’s road to nation reunion. In 1990 East and West Germany united for the first time since their separation during the Cold War.
In Conclusion
Soviet-directed German Democratic Republic constructed the Berlin Wall not Hitler as many believe. East Germany built the wall to stop people from leaving for the West and to show why Cold War policies divided Europe.
At the end of the Cold War Germany came back together through the Berlin Wall’s collapse which shaped world history. People still see this historic structure as showing humanity’s passionate desire to unite freely against hard times.