The Berlin Wall built from 1961 to 1989 split Berlin in two directly because of the Cold War. During the Cold War years the United States and the Soviet Union held strong political differences without fighting actual battles. The Berlin Wall built during political conflicts demonstrated the gap between communist and capitalist regions in our world.

The Cold War: A Brief Overview

A war of words started between America and the Soviet Union once World War 2 ended as they captured total global power status. The United States stood by capitalism and democracy against communist rule by the Soviet Union before and during World War II. Two opposing world views caused major political competition to become the Cold War.

While these countries vied for power they attempted to extend their impact and promote their belief systems. The United States strived to stop communist growth throughout the world even as the Soviet Union worked to expand its geographic dominance. The fighting spirit between the United States and Soviet Union created many international battles through local allies during the Cold War period.

The Division of Germany

After World War II ended the Allied powers United States, Soviet Union, Great Britain and France each took charge of one of Germany’s four occupation zones. After World War II the closed Soviet-occupied part of Berlin developed into distinct sections under four different authorities. The Allies developed strained relationships during this time and made Berlin their main East-West conflict center.

In 1949, two separate German states were established: Strict separation created the Federal Republic of Germany in the west plus the German Democratic Republic in the east. The Soviet Union transformed East Germany into communist rule whereas West Germany developed into a capitalist democracy.

Following the East and West German divide the communist government built a barrier between their countries.

During the Cold War more East Germans escaped to West Germany through Berlin because they wanted better economic chances and more freedom of choice. Heavy worker migration frightened the Soviet Union and East German authorities who wanted to keep their population and retain effective manpower.

With Soviet Union support East German authorities started building walls across Berlin to stop residents from leaving the country. On August 13, 1961 the first construction elements appeared at the spot where the Berlin Wall would be erected. Over time the initial barrier developed into a complete defense network that merged concrete walls with barbed wire fences and watchtowers across a unfilmed territory.

The Berlin Wall Arose to Achieve Specific Goals

The construction of the Berlin Wall had several objectives:

• Preventing defections: The Berlin Wall existed to stop East Germans from moving beyond it to the wealthier West sector. The wall divided East Germany to stop its people from leaving the country.
• Political symbolism: After its erection the Berlin Wall demonstrated how deeply the capitalist western nations were divided from communist eastern nations. The building showed how different the two superpower systems and their support teams operated.
• Safeguarding East Germany: East German officials built the wall to protect their economy from leaving workers. To keep their economy stable and ensure communist loyalty the government imposed travel restrictions.

The Impact of the Berlin Wall

The construction of the Berlin Wall had significant consequences:

• Humanitarian crisis: The barrier split families apart which made life difficult for everyone who lived with it. East Germans took great risks to climb or dig under the wall every day.
• A global symbol: From its creation the Berlin Wall symbolized both the tensions of the Cold War and Europe’s split into separate parts. During the Cold War era the Berlin Wall showed the fight between belief in freedom and communist rule.
• Political tension: Construction of the wall made US-Soviet tensions advance during the Cold War according to its rules.
• End of the Cold War: After 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell it started major political transformations throughout Europe. After 1989 the wall’s demise started the Cold War’s end and led Germany to be reunited in 1990.

Conclusion

Directly because of the Cold War the Berlin Wall went up. Build by communist authorities to stop East Germans from moving to the West of divided Berlin their policy difference against capitalism. The structure showed both physical and political tensions between different world ideologies during Cold War times. After this landmark event countries joined forces for future development.