The Second World War was an era of constant changes in which cities of the world experienced much turmoil including Berlin. As the capital, Berlin itself underwent substantial changes historically and saw destruction, ruin and reconstruction here. In this blog post, we’ll go through the period of the Second World War in Berlin and its consequences.

The Prelude: Berlin before the War

For this reason, it is important to have a brief idea of the city Berlin before the beginning of the second world war. It was a queen of cities, the metropolis of cultured, scientific and architectural brilliance during the period. It also boasted important monuments such as the Brandenburg Gate, Charlottenburg Palace, Berlin Zoo among others.

Nonetheless the factors that intensified the growth and development of the city were the Nazi Germany and the rise of Adolf Hitler in the 1930s.

Conflict and Berliner Kokial and its Part

When the Second World War started in 1939 then Berlin was the political and military headquarters of the Third Reich. To consolidate power, political and economic control Adolf Hitler and his government in certain ways introduced different measures Berlin played a crucial role in putting these measures into practice.

They suffered the moving of government offices, military center as well as the construction of concentration camps in near them in the city. Due to it’s location getting attacked frequently the population of Berlin increased very much and as a result there was overcrowding and rationing of resources.

Berlin’s Targeted Bombing

Berlin was an important center on the Allies’ side and the city was bombed vigorously during the whole war. These bombings were intended to cripple military activities, destroy the German economy and siphon morale among the German population. The heaviest bombings were during the Battle of Berlin in the year 1945.

Archival analysis indicates that approximately 20, 000 tons of bombs were launched on Berlin during the war. Consequently, most of the well-known structures sustained considerable losses, or were utterly devastated, such as the Reichstag Building, the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtnis Kirche and the Berliner Staatsoper.

Leben in Berlin im Zweiten Weltkrieg

Sanitation in the Berlin residentials significantly differed during the war time. The understanding of daily life was mainly because the basic needs which are food, fuel and shelter were scarce. People could buy only limited amounts of certain items; these changes caused the civilians to change their lifestyle.

The bombings in Berlin were frequent, so Berliners had to go to air raid shelters to escape. There was the appointment of air raid wardens whose primary duty was to ensure that no form of illumination was showing to the enemy planes at night.

The Plight of Berlin’s Jews

Before the annexation of Berlin by Nazi, Jewish population were subjected to gruesome persecution and discriminator. They were being discriminated against, segregated and then moved to concentration camps. Historically Berlin also has been one of the centers of holocaust commemorating the atrocities of the World War II.

The Aftermath: Berlin’s Rebuilding

At the end of the war, Berlin physically and politically was in shatters. The city was divided into four occupation zones controlled by the Allied powers: The four prominent countries of that time such as the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France.

In the following decades a reconstruction was undergone, and Berlin was exposed to the most severe confrontation between the East and the West in the framework of the Cold War. This division is well illustrated by the Berlin Wall which separated the city into east and west Berlin and acted as a remarkable reminder of the outcome of war.

Reunification and Rebirth

It took Berlin over four decades after the initial division by the Western allies to start the reunification process proper when the Berlin Wall came crashing down in 1990. The following years provided increased space for redevelopment, and the city regained its status of the capital of a reunified Germany.

Nowadays, Berlin is one of the strongest examples of people’s ability to rise from the dust and restore the state after the war. It is suggested that war memories together with social, economical and cultural heritage of the island is kept in memorials, museums, and historical sites while the city has its history during the World War II.

Conclusion

It is possible to refer to profound social influence on Berlin caused by the events of the Second World War. The city as a whole suffered through the destruction of buildings and homes as well as the lose of many people and the anguish that resulted from it; however, the city stood defiant and the people of the city banded together. This history makes us respect the policy of peace and reminds that the war can do in the society.