Several factors make Berlin Wall influential; first, it genuinely existed between 1961 and 1989 around the city of Berlin and second, it symbolized, Cold War. The building up and collapse of the Berlin Wall stands for the division and opposition of the East and West during the Cold War, mainly between the Eastern and the Soviet Union allies against the Western and that of the United States allies. Although the main purpose of writing this blog post is to analyze how the Berlin Wall acted as a symbol of the Cold War confrontationalism, I would like to draw my readers’ attention to the fact that the war was never a conventional war because it did not involve direct military confrontations between two powers.
1. The Division of Berlin
After World War II, Germany was divided into four zones, each controlled by one of the victorious Allies: the United States, the Soviet Union, France, and the United Kingdom will be on the focus of the analysis in this paper. Likewise, Berlin, the capital of Germany was also was divided into four sectors although this was situated in the SAP zone.
Over time, political and ideological differences between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union deepened, leading to the formation of two separate German states: , the Federal Republic of West Germany and the German Democratic Republic GDR of East Germany. Similarly, Berlin, situated well within East German territory, was also split; West Berlin becoming an island inside East Germany.
2. The Construction of the Wall
The actual construction of the wall had started on August 13, 1961. East Germany officially defended the construction claiming it was essential to stop Western ‘fascist’ inmigrants from penetrating into East Germany and to safeguard the socialist structure. In reality, the wall was constructed to prevent large numbers of East Germans from defection to the more affluent west Germany.
These building structures were concrete barriers, barbed wire, guard towers, and anti-bicycles trenches. It literally physically divided east Berlin from west Berlin and families and friends were separated for life within a day. The wall was well protected for this meant that any escape measures that people tried to undertake were usually punished severely; some even ended up in jail or dead.
3. The Political Impact
The act of building a barrier that separates East and West Berlin escalated the confrontations between East and West during the cold war. It was a symbol of the split between communism and capitalist in terms of the constructed structure. The wall therefore became a representation of the soviet union’s stubbornness of allowing its eastern European states to be influenced by the west.
People in western countries like the US president John F Kennedy felt wrong with such development and saw the wall as an epitome of communism’s shortcomings. Erected as a symbol of anti-communism and become a clear manifestation of people of East Germany, how little freedom they were granted.
4. The Human Cost
The use of Berlin Wall also brought a lot of sufferings to the people of divided Berlin. People were isolated from their families, and everyone lived through great suffering. It is really very important that many East Berliners had time and again, give their lives in attempt to cross to West Berlin. Some made efforts towards digging tunnels for themselves, while some molested themselves in the vehicles, while some attempted to swim across some dangerous rivers.
Under construction in East Germany, the regime imposed severe restrictions on the borders its authorities had themselves built and more than 140 people died trying to cross the wall. All these calamities proved the fact that staking one’s life through escaping is one thing that can really help a person gain a better life.
5. The Fall and Symbolism
People of East Germany had long protested the wall and , at last, the wall came crumbling down on November 9, 1989. The decision to open the borders, and the subsequent action of dismantling the wall was a potent symbol during the entire Cold War. It later signified the decline of soviet Union as well as the eastern Bloc countries.
Cultural signification of the eve of the third millennium reflected the triumph of freedom, democracy over the totalitarian and repressive systems and the fall of the Berlin Wall was a vivid evidence of it. It showed the reintegration of Germany and marks the start of probably the decline of the Cold War. The wall now represents hope and the people who freedom fighters that braved the odds in an effort to gain freedom from the oppressors.
Conclusion
It was an aggressive symbol of the ideological and political division of Europe and the world into the East and West during the Cold War. He so admired it as he saw it as a battle between communism and capitalism, dictatorship and democracy , dark and light. While the wall brought pain, struggle and division for everyone on its path, it led to the unification of Europe after it came down. Teaching and learning lessons of Berlin Wall is always a good start to remind people about human rights , freedom and willingness of the people who want different and better life.