It was a terrible, worldwide war, World War II, going on from 1939 to 1945 which very many countries were involved. Main battlelines were between two major alliances, Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) and Allies (United States, Soviet Union, and United Kingdom)..
Berlin Wall, The Origins of
However, the Berlin Wall was not part of World War II, directly. Its origins can be traced back to the aftermath of the war when Germany was divided into four occupied zones administered by the victorious Allied powers: USSR, United Kingdom and France. Deep in the Soviet zone, and the capital of Berlin, was also divided into four sectors.
Tensions between the Soviet Union and the Western powers soon emerged, leading to the formation of two separate German states: to West Germany and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). The Berlin Wall was built by the East German government, a physical barrier dividing East and West Berlin, in the case of the wall, but a wider delineation between the Eastern Bloc (headed by the Soviet Union) and Western Europe (under United States lead).
The Berlin Wall Divisions and Purpose.
Mainly made of concrete walls, bullet proofed windows and heavily fortified barriers, Berlin walls were a series of walls and illegal crossways. Built to stop East Germans from defecting to the West, East Germany was also badly hit by the brain drain as people left for higher economic rewards and freedom in West Germany.
Escape attempts across the Berlin Wall were met lethal force, and played into the history of the Iron Curtain that dominated Europe during the Cold War. The wall separated families and friends; it shocked the soul of the larger geopolitical tensions between communism and democracy.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
When the Cold War collapsed and political ferment swept Eastern Europe, the Berlin Wall became the setting of spectacular demonstrations, often punctuated by violence directed at the wall itself. On that fateful November 9, 1989, the governments of both East and West Germany announced that there would be no more restrictions against travel across the border into the West. Spontaneous celebrations broke out as thousands of people gathered at the wall to tear down the physical barriers in what symbolised the end of three decades of division between the city.
The fall of the Berlin Wall was a major historical event and a big event along the way to the German unification. That was the end of East vs. West, and the Soviet Union collapsed not long after.
Historical and Legacy
It is a symbol for all the consequences of political or ideological separations. The symbol of freemen demanding their freedom and the united power of the people, to peacefully depose tyrannical regimes.
Today, parts of Berlin Wall lying around Berlin as memorials and museums. The history of the wall comes alive for visitors, who will find out about the lives ravaged by its being, learn the triumph of freedom over division, and reflect on the inspiration behind one of the world’s most famous words, ‘Wall of shame.’
Conclusion
Germany’s partition will not be considered to be directly part of World War II, but its construction and fall are closely linked to the geopolitical tensions of the Cold War. Yet it represented a physical and ideological barrier between East and West, and serves still as a powerful symbol of human resilience and freedom in pursuit. With an understanding about it’s history it gives us a picture how big of an impact it has on the world and looking into the future it reminds us we need to try and keep the peace.