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The Berlin Wall and Communism: A Brief History

by | Mar 7, 2024 | World War Tour Berlin

Hello, and welcome to this blog post on the Berlin wall and communism. This article will take you through in great detail what history of the Berlin Wall, what was its construction, purpose and why it fell. Lastly we are going to examine the weight of communism in Germany on both a national and global level. So, let’s dive in!

1. Historical Context

In German, known as the Berliner Mauer, it was a physical barrier that split the city of Berlin between 1961 and 1989. It’s important to review historical context surrounding post World War Germany, to understand why it was built.

After Germany’s surrender in 1945, the country was divided into four occupied zones, each controlled by one of the victorious Allied powers: USA, the Soviet Union, Great Britain and France. The Soviet zone was also divided into four sectors as was Berlin, both of which were in the Soviet zone.

But ideological differences spurred up tensions between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies very quickly. The Soviet Union supported communism; the West supported capitalist systems. Eventually, this divide resulted in the Cold War, the political hostility between the two sides that persisted into several decades.

2. Construction and Purpose

On August 13, 1961, in an attempt to stem the flow of people from East Germany (under Soviet control) to West (under Western Allied control) Germany, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) erected the Berlin Wall. It was composed of layered concrete barriers, barbed wire fences, watchtowers and other such deterrents.

Its main purpose was to stop mass defection from East to West. Fleeing a muslim dominated oppressive communist regime looking for better economic opportunities, political freedom and a better life in the capitalist West. It was viewed as threat to authority by the GDR and they built the wall to stop the exodus.

3. Communism in Germany

The period also witnessed a great impact of Communism with its aim to build an egalitarian society on Germany. The German Democratic Republic practiced a Soviet influenced, command economy, centralized planning, and state ownership of industries.

There were many social benefits, including free health care and schooling, but the GDR lived under strict surveillance and limited political freedoms inflicted by limited information access. The disillusionment of the people with the result was so widespread that the very idea of escape to the West took on its meaning.

3.1. Life in East Germany

Life in East Germany was a life of a scarcity and limited personal freedoms. Access to consumer products became a very long waiting game due to the government’s manipulation of supply of goods and services. The state also paid close attention to its citizens, which turned it into an intolerant environment in which it was almost impossible to speak out against the regime.

3.2. Life in West Germany

Economic prosperity, political freedom, a wider range of goods and services — that is West Germany compared to life in West Germany. This model of capitalism brought higher standards of living for many, causing the east to send many people to make the dangerous trip across the border.

4. The Fall of the Berlin Wall

The tipping point finally came on November 9 1989, years of discontent and political pressure. It all went wrong because of a series of administrative errors and ever worsening civil unrest, and the East German government announced that its citizens could travel freely to the West. And thousands rushed to the wall, pouring on the celebration.

The Berlin Wall lost its symbolic power, in this way. Someone began chipping away at the wall, tearing it down, peeling it off, little by little. This was the end of the line for communism in Germany.

5. Significance in World History

Reunification of Germany was brought back in history by the Berlin Wall, symbolising its fall. It ended the Cold War, the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and the break up of the Soviet Union.

The consequences of this event were far reaching, both in terms of expanding democracy, reunifying families and opening up new economic opportunities. It also underscored the strength of peoples’ dreams of freedom, of wanting for the better tomorrow.

6. Conclusion

Berlin Wall is much more than a physical structure; more than a piece of architecture; it is the physical manifestation of a chokehold, of apartheid, of a regime where people are forced into their own living graveyard. When we see the history of the Berlin Wall and what it represented, we see how oppressive systems can be over come by the human desire of freedom.

These days remnants of the Berlin Wall are a tribute to the human spirit’s victory and pursuit of liberty. However, there is something about traveling to a place and being able to see the physical results of history that feels profound. When you visit Berlin and experience the history it had takes place, you have a view into a time that’s helped form the world we live here in today.

The Berlin Wall and Communism: A Brief History