It was a period between the Soviet Union and the United State during the Cold War after the end of World War II to the beginning of the 90s of our century. And during this time, different things happened and other things happened to shape the conflict between these superpowers. The Berlin Wall was one of the most significant, and most visible, symbols of this era, in this sense, it also profoundly influenced the world of the Cold War.

Construction of the Berlin Wall

The support of the Soviet Union went into the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961 when German Democratic Republic (GDR), aka East Germany, erected it. TheWall’s principal reason for existence was to stop the East Germans from moving to West Germany in large numbers and in the case of the brain drain it was Eastern Europe for that matter.

The wall stretched for 96 miles, dividing the city of Berlin into two parts: East Berlin, controlled by the Soviet Union; West Berlin, under the influence of Western powers principally the United States. Concrete walls, barbed wire fences, watch towers, and a ‘death strip’ with mines, anti vehicle trenches all made up the constisting concrete walls.

The Effects on the Cold War

In many ways, the construction of the Berlin Wall was the Cold War’s most monumentally important event politically and socially.

1. East versus West polarization

The Berlin Wall was both a physical manifestation of the split between the communist Eastern Bloc, under the Soviet Union, and the democratic Western countries under the United States. The fact that it showed that these two sides had deep ideological differences and that they were intensely rivals.

When the wall went up, any possibility of East and West coming to peaceful terms was eroded badly. This only further solidified that Europe was in two opposing spheres of influence and increased tensions between the superpowers.

2. Increase in Military Build-up

The Berlin Wall started the build up of military operations on both sides. The wall enhanced an already bad relation as the USA and USSR tried to beat each other in a race who was stronger and who won.

Both sides increased their ability to wage war and put troops along the wall to show the wall was not protected by weaklings. Key to this militarization was how it only served to further heighten the stalemate and part of the larger unease and instability that characterized the period of the Cold War.

3. Humanitarian Consequences

The Berlin Wall was not meant to prevent mass migration, but was reckless to its humanitarian side. Wives and husbands were pulled apart overnight, and people lost their families and their homes. Those that lived on the eastern side felt an isolation and despair that was fledged by the wall.

Many tried to escape, some really taking their lives in their hands to jump the wall. The wall became a tragic symbol of human suffering resulting from the division of Germany, and which further inflamed tensions between East and West.

4. Political Impactes and Propaganda

Both sides used the Berlin Wall for propaganda. The wall was called a symbol of oppression by the Western powers and set up by the Soviets, the East German government and the Soviets presented it as being for their security.

It had a deep psychological effect on people, East and West. It was a stark visual reminder of a divided world and a darkening world of fear stalking many, during the Cold War. The wall became a symbol of harshness of the Soviet regime.

The Cold War’s fall, the edge of the Berlin wall.

For 28 years the Berlin Wall separated East and West Berlin, but on November 9, 1989 it fell. Opening the crossing points was a result of mass protests in Europe and political changes in the region, as well as a confusion on the part of the East German government regarding how the crossing points were to be used. This was the beginning of the end of the Cold War.

The fall of the Berlin Wall terminated the division of East and West and was a decisive triumph for democracy and human rights. The symbolated a move away from the time of the Cold War, and the reunification of Germany.

Conclusion

The fall of the Berlin Wall had significant impact on the Cold War and the world geopolitical politics. But in addition to its physical separation of Berlin, the wall was also a polemical symbol of how the Soviet Union squared off against the United States in the ideological struggle.

These effects extended to increased polarization, the military build up, humanitarian consequences and psychological impacts. When the wall came down it was a moment of history: it was the beginning of the end of the Cold War.

While the Cold War is gone, the Berlin Wall remains as a constant reminder that freedom, unity, and the possibility of political division have consequences.