Here we begin the brief journey into the story behind the icon – the Berlin Wall. If you are feeling curious, you’ve landed on the right page, for it will give you more information about one of the greatest historical wonders of the 20th century. In this article, we will be taking you through the interesting past, process of erecting as well as bringing down the Berlin Wall. Let’s dive in!

1. Some background information to the topic such as the Berlin Wall.

The Berlin Wall was an urban dividing line and communicating barrier during that period from 1961 to 1989. It was ultimately used to stop the East Germans from fleeing to West Germany, which was part of the west. The wall became a sign of Cold War and even intensified the separation between the communism eastern countries and the western capitalist countries.

The building of the Berlin Wall started on August 13, 1961 and comprised of numerous concrete walls, watch towers, barbed wire and other barriers. The wall was about 155 kilometer in length and completely surrounding the western part of Berlin.

2. Why the construction was done:

The construction of the Berlin Wall was driven by several factors:

The emigration that was shifting a large number of people from East Germany to West Germany that affected the economy of the Eastern bloc.

The daily ideological conflict between communism and capitalists during the cold war.

The sub-team of the Soviet Union and America met in 1961 in Vienna, with particular emphasis on the divergent positions of the USSR and the US.

These reasons made the East German government to reason that a barrier was needed to stop the waves of emigration to the western side.

3. The Effect It Had On Berliners

In a physical and psychological sense the Berlin Wall affected the lives of the citizens in Berlin greatly. People were banished from their houses, friends and families for years, could not see each other overnight.

The inhabitants of the West Berlin turned into an island surrounded with the enemy’s territory. The construction of the wall elicited exceeding sorrow, alarm, and anger to the affected group of people.

4. Life at the Wall

Residents of the Berlin Wall had difficult life conditions. It divided neighborhoods, streets as well as buildings from each other. The west of Berlin was newly refined and pristine while east BERLIN fell into a totalitarian rule.

If the Soviet citizens tried to escape to the West it was followed by certain severe consequences. Permission was given to those who wanted to scale the wall to do so freely, but any one who attempted to do so was to be shot. But some of them were able and several escape attempt were made successfully and people used tunnels, hot air balloons and even home built aircraft.

5. The Fall of the Berlin Wall

Changes Germany can be said to have started in November 9th when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. It was a result of various factors:

• Freedom fighters of East Germany protesting against the government to lead a change.
• The weakening of the superpowers of the Soviet Union and its allied countries.
• The impact that key political figures such as, Mikhail Gorbachev and the West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl.

When the pressure was put on the East German government created a new policy regarding travel which claimed that citizens were free to travel. Many east Germans assembled at border posts pressing for a passage and finally the border guards, opened the gates and people were happy to embrace their brothers sisters and parents those who were separated for so long.

6. The Legacy of the Berlin Wall

These includes break down of the Berlin Wall signifying the collapse of cold war and reconstruction of Germany. Now there remain parts of this Wall to tell the story and the preservation and strength of the human spirit.

Coming to Berlin it is possible to learn more about the history of the wall. For further details about this period one should visit The Berlin Wall Memorial, The Berlin Wall East Side Gallery, as well as Checkpoint Charlie Museum.

Conclusion

The Berlin Wall symbolized Cold War division between communism and democracy as well as east and west. This construction and destruction affected millions of people, but there is still a message that in freedom and in unity we will stay. Please save this guide as helpful information, if you have studied the guide above You will get the general knowledge of The Berlin Wall. Now it’s your turn to delve deeper and learn all the details about the history of Berlin that you want.