Introduction
For the majority of the 20th century, Berlin was divided between East and West Germany, and when talking about how Berlin’s history split in two, it’s important to understand that. From 1949 to 1990 Germany was split in two, both countries were named Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The capital, Berlin, also suffered from the division of the country.
The Division of Berlin
After World War II, the Allies that won the war (United States, United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union) divided Germany into four occupation zones. Berlin was as far as deep inside the Soviet occupation zone as it could be; it was also, however, divided into four sectors, each of which was under the authority of one of the Allied powers.
West Berlin was the sectors that the United States, the United Kingdom and France controlled, and East Berlin was the sectors that the Soviet Union controlled. In 1949 the Soviet Union and its Western Allies became more and more hostile, East and West Germany were set up as separate countries.
German Democratic Republic, East Germany
In its name, East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a socialist state under Soviet influence. The government spurned strict socialism and restricted personal freedoms. The Eastern Bloc country that East Germany was a member of operated under the influence of the Soviet Union.
East and West Germany Border
So that East Germans would not flee to more prosperous West Germany, the East German government built the infamous Berlin Wall. The physical process of this concrete barrier that separated East and West Berlin from each other prevented free movement.
Between 1961 and 1989 the Berlin Wall stood, and became symbolic of the Cold War divide between East and West. It was dangerous, it was illegal, but crossing the wall was strictly regulated.
Life in East Germany
Life in East Germany was affected by a centrally planned economy and limited access to Western consumer goods, and the few travel options that were available. They determined how much education was going to be in your life, they decided what media you could consume, and they decided what you would be working.
On the one hand there were free healthcare, free education, but on the other hand there was no personal freedoms and no economic opportunities, so many East Germans were trying to get to the West. It was this desire for greater freedom and a better life for themselves and their families that made the Berlin Wall fall and with it caused Germany to reunify.
Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)
FRG was a democratic and capitalist state of West Germany. It stood solidly with the Western Allies, and favored market based economic principles.
Rapid economic growth was experienced by West Germany, which was referred to as the ‘Wirtschaftswunder’ or ‘economic miracle’. By rebuilding after World War II, the country became an industrial powerhouse. There was a higher standard of living among West Germans than East Germans.
Life in West Germany
Citizens of West Germany received democratic rights, freedom of speech, and a multi party system. In West Germany, access to Western culture, consumer goods and travel were available to (more) people.
At first Bonn was the capital of West Germany, a city of western Germany. After the fall of the Berlin Wall and Germany’s subsequent reunification, however, Berlin regained its reputation as capital city of a united Germany.
The Berlin Wall, Reunification
On November 9, 1989, however, the Berlin Wall fell and that would prove a pivotal moment. As the symbol of hope and unity, East and West Germans rejoiced in the end of the division which had divided the once city of Berlin.
East and West Germany reunified on October 3, 1990, when the two became one country for the first time since 1949. After reunification, Berlin became the capital city of newly unified Germany.
Conclusion
The history of Berlin behind the Wall is a powerful reminder of just how geopolitics and ideologies can shape people’s day to day life. For 40 years, the Berlin Wall symbolized East-West division as well as physical division. They saw Berlin today — a vibrant, united city with the tattered scraps of its divided past to be visited and remembered.
