The Berlin Wall is not only an object, but also a sign of splitting and opposing during the Cold War period. Commissioned in 1961 and pulled down in 1989 the Berlin Wall was the concrete and barbed wired which divided Berlin into two; East and West with families, friends and a nation separated by the dust of ideologies. Here in this article, the writer will endeavor to briefly discuss how the construction of the Berlin Wall conform to the pattern of the cold war.

The Origins of the Cold War

Cold War can be regarded as the condition that developed after the Second World War directly connected with the attempts of two super powers, the United States and the Soviet Union, at the struggle for the control over the post-war Europe. On the one hand, the United States supported the spread of democracy and freedom, capitalistic economy, on the other hand the Soviet Union aggressively propagated communism. This ideological divide was due to factors such as political confrontation, existence of military rivalry, numerous military buildup which were characteristic of the epoch.

The Division of Berlin

At the end of World War II, Germany was divided into four occupied zones: In the west, powers were American, British and French while on the eastern side Soviet power was on display. Like all the major cities in Germany, Berlin, the capital which was situated in the deep of the Soviet Zone, was divided into four sectors as well. Failures in governance led to gangsterization of the city teachings it become a representation of the super power ideological struggle between the west and the Soviet Union.

The Creation of East and West Germany

Germany was divided into two separate countries: the Federal Republic of Germany, named West Germany, in 1949 represents nation that closely associated with western democratic liberalism and free-market economy. In response the Soviet set up what is often referred to as the East German, or the official name of which was the German Democratic Republic), which promoted the Soviet brand of communism. In as much as the wall was constructed in the later part of the summer of 1961, the ideological differences remained central to the construction of the wall.

The construction of Berlin Wall

The East Germany government put up barriers to people emigrating to the West and on 13 August 1961, it erected the wall known as the Berlin Wall. Many East Germans looked forward to living in the West Germany where there was better economy and cherished freedom of speech. The division was made by a barbed wire and later this wall was constructed with concrete which symbolized the division of east and west.

The Berlin Wall and its Importance

The Berlin Wall was not only a wall built to keep people separated, but a facade of the main conflict of the cold war. Here are a few key perspectives on the significance of the Berlin Wall:

Geopolitical Symbol: The Berlin Wall means division and conflict of power between two poles, the liberal and the totalitarian systems and between America and Soviet Union.

Human Tragedy: People were divided by family and by friendship; they were prevented from travelling between East and West Berlin as they previously had.

Escalation of Tensions: The construction of the wall aggravated the tension between the East and West, and thus the two sides accumulated more military resources and elevated nuclear confrontation.

Peaceful Revolution: In 1989 separation between the two parts of Germany ceased with the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, signaling the end of the Cold War.

Conclusion

The Berlin Wall is thus iconic of the division that characterized Cold War on both ideological and real political geography. a wall was built to divide a city in addition to representing another conflict between East and West. Consequently, to understand a primary root cause of the setting of the Cold War and the fight of both major ideologies for the world’s domination, it is essential to comprehend the phenomenon, the Berlin Wall.