This post looks back at the historic moment which ended Cold War times through the fall of Berlin’s wall. The historic moment made East and West Germany into one nation again while bringing back unity to Berlin. Our blog post will take you through this interesting subject to show you its importance.
1. Building the Berlin Wall Became Reality on August 13, 1961
For border protection East Germany started building the Berlin Wall on August 13, 1961. East Germany built the wall to keep its people from fleeing to West Germany for chances at freedom and opportunity. According to East German authorities the wall needed to stop their citizens from escaping to the “fascist West.”
When East Germany put up the Berlin Wall they started with barbed wire but later added concrete barriers along with watchtowers and a defensible no-man’s-land called the “Death Strip.” The wall ran for 155 kilometers around West Berlin and isolated it from the rest of East Germany.
1.1 Division of Berlin
After World War II ended in 1945 the four Allied victors – United States, Soviet Union, Great Britain, and France – supervised a divided Berlin until the wall construction began. Following tensions between the Soviet Union and other powers split Berlin into East and West parts in 1949.
East Berlin existed in German Democratic Republic as territorial administration while West Berlin supported democracy as a separate zone within East Germany’s borders. The big differences in how East Berliners lived compared to people in Western Berlin made them want to get out of East German communist control and move to the West’s economic success.
2. The Wall Represented the Division Between East and West in Cold War Struggles
The Berlin Wall symbolized Cold War division which split families and damaged both city life and political community. Building this barrier made a clear border between West and East to show the conflict between capitalist and communist systems.
The East German government sacrificed public safety to build more military bases instead of fixing daily life problems in the country. The barrier existed to show how much freedom of movement and speech had been restricted.
2.1 Escape Attempts
Thousands of East Germans defied danger to escape to West Germany using different methods. People tried multiple ways to cross the GDR border including wall climbing and underground tunneling with hot air balloons.
Many individuals died even though they tried to cross the border into the West. The wall’s tragic escape incidents made international headlines which strengthened public opposition to the Communist leadership who put up this barrier.
3. Winds of Change
At the turn of the 1980s major transformations took place across the Soviet Union and East Germany. Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev launched openness and restructuring plans which made citizens across Eastern Europe call for political change.
People in East Germany came together in public demonstrations to ask for leadership transition and protection of human rights. People grew more dissatisfied after authorities strongly suppressed the demonstrations which drew international criticism.
3.1 Fall of the Berlin Wall
On November 9 1989 East Germany’s government surprised everyone when they made a last-minute decision. Socialist Unity Party leader Günter Schabowski surprised everyone by saying the GDR authorities now allow East Germans to pass through the border freely.
A large number of East Berliners reacted to this news with intense movement towards the wall. Although outnumbered and unprepared the border guards gave way when a large group of people requested to cross. After the Berlin Wall’s collapse people from both sides of the border erupted with excitement through celebratory actions as they joined their family members and removed sections of the wall from its path.
4. Unification of Germany
When the Berlin Wall fell Germany began restoring its divided nation as one united country. Beginning talks in August 1990 between East and West Germany produced their final agreement on Unification Treaty on the last day of that month.
Beginning on October 3, 1990 Germany ended the four decades of division that split the nation into two separate communities. After the Berlin Wall fell people across Germany and worldwide favored new peace-focused unions.
4.1 Legacy of the Berlin Wall
People saw freedom defeat oppression across Germany when the Berlin Wall fell and the Cold War ended. People today remember the wall for what it meant but they also celebrate the courage within us all.
Travellers from different nations travel to the Berlin Wall Memorial to respect the people who died chasing freedom. The wall today reminds us about the need for freedom along with unity among people while showing us their strength to bring about real change despite hard challenges.
Conclusion
The moment the Berlin Wall fell signaled historical ending of Cold War battles and launched new beginnings for Germany and the entire world. Human determination and the will to choose freedom emerged when the wall went up and came down.
Our remembrance of this moment should honor the brave people who struggled to build freedom and unity. The fall of the Berlin Wall demonstrates the ongoing strength of hope and shows that people can lead history in its development.