The Berlin Wall was an edifice that ran from East Berlin to West Berlin, erected by the German Democratic Republic (GDR) between 1961 and 1989 to divide from East and West. The wall, though designed in the first place to stem a tide of mass emigration from East Germany towards West Germany, had much effect on East German people and their economy. In this article we examine how the Berlin Wall affected East Germany.
- Economic Consequences
The impact of the Berlin Wall in East Germany was also on the economy. The wall divided and created a separation between commerce and economic growth. The loss of easy access to the prosperous markets of West Germany meant a sharply reduced export ability and fewer investment in foreign opportunities.
To add to that, the building and upkeep of the wall was hard on the East German economy. This meant pulling resources away from infrastructure and education, healthcare, instead of diverting it to building the wall.
- Brain Drain
The latter also saw a brain drain from East Germany, through the erection of the Berlin Wall. It became much harder to escape to the West, where thousands of skilled professionals, including doctors, engineers and scientists, decided to flee the country in search of better conditions. This brain drain was a terrible hit to East German development, draining away manpower and intellectual power that was needed to support and develop the region.
In addition, the loss of skilled manpower meant the loss of money to the government as well as further straining of the already reeling economy.
- Social and Cultural Divisions
The Berlin Wall not only physically divided East and West Germany it also divided in a social and cultural manner the German people. Families were divided; we lost our links to communities. It effected an isolation and bred a climate of fear and suspicion.
The East German government furthermore had strict control and surveillance over its people and restricted them from free speech and free movement. This deepening lack of personal liberties worsened the division of East and West even further than the conflict already had, forcing them to contrast on everything from living conditions to chances to opportunities to general quality of life.
- Political Repression
The Berlin Wall made it easy for the East German government to keep a tight hand on the population. Severe repercussions were imposed by the regime on dissent and opposition. There was imprisonment and even loss of life.
The wall symbolized the wall of the regime that enacted physical pressures on the citizens which if a citizen challenges the status quo he would face the consequences of the wall. Through this stifling atmosphere of political repression, we kept East German innovation, creativity, and critical thinking from social and economic progress.
- Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and brought big changes to East Germany. This was the end of the GDR and was to mark the beginning of German reunification. The removal of the wall was an important event, but having significance far greater on the economy of East Germany and beyond.
Reunification was a hard process and had its challenges too. Collections of Soviet tanks and other military equipment lined the streets in cities in the East, as the East German economy was unable to compete with the wealthier West and many East German industries collapsed, generating excess unemployment which provided for constant social unrest.
But these became the benefits of reunification over time, when improvements in infrastructure, living standards and economic opportunities for East Germans started to appear.
Conclusion
The Berlin Wall left a lasting and multi faceted mark on East Germany. It followed the path it took mostly because of the economic consequences, brain drain, social and cultural divisions, political repression, and the resulting difficulties of reunification. The wall did physically separate the country, but symbolically it was a constant reminder of the German people’s ability to resist, to overcome adversity.