The Cold War era was a big change to Berlin and its citizens. The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 and still further divided East Berlin, controlled by the Soviet Union, and West Berlin, under the influence of the United States, Britain and France.

Soviet Control of East Berlin

Germany was divided into four occupied zones after World War II, divided between the Allied powers, the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain and France. The seat of the capital of Germany was in the East Berlin which was within the Soviet Zone.

That East Germany would be run under the strict control of the Soviet Union from a socialist regime under the leadership of the German Communist Party (SED) was maintained. Under Soviet influence, the SED’s policy adopted Soviet interests and promoted socialist ideology. Everything from the economy, media and education was under government control.

As part of a system of control and suppression of dissent in East Berlin, the secret police, the Stasi, were vital to enforcement of control. They inflated fear, and terrorized people, and grew their authority by monitoring every activity of citizens.

Life in East Berlin

The living conditions in East Berlin were nothing compared to those in West Berlin. Unlike West Berlin which enjoyed the support of the Western Allies and economy did grow, East Berlin remained poorly developed and economically backward. The general level of standard of living was low, there were shortages of basic necessities and few consumer goods.

The regime forwarded socialist values and eschewed individualism and free expression. It also set heavy rules on the media and silenced dissenting voices. But the government spent on education and healthcare, though this was often for propaganda purposes.

The Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall came up in 1961 was a hallmark occasion in the Cold War as well as the partitioning of Berlin. Between East and West Berlin, the wall physically — but, as it turned out, effectively — demarcated the difference, stopping people from freely moving back and forth across the border. East Germany’s Soviet controlled government used the construction of the wall to justify the wall as a way of protecting its citizens from the so called influence of West ideologies.

It was a concrete wall with barbed wire, guard towers, etc. It became a powerful symbol of division between the capitalist West, and the socialist East. It remained in place, falling in 1989 along with the end of the Cold War and reuniting of Germany.

Topics for The Fall of the Wall and Reunification

The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, another huge historical event, the end of Soviet control over East Berlin. They [the wall] fell as result of a mix of factors, including widespread protests, changes in Soviet leadership and the desire of the East German people for freedom and reunification.

In the fall of the wall East and West Berlin were reunited and later Germany was reunited as a whole. Political, economic and social integration was very difficult during the process of reunification.

In Conclusion

Contemporary Berlin and its people were made awed by the division and control of Berlin during Cold War. While East Berlin existed under a very different political and economic system than West Berlin, did. In addition to causing geographical division, the Berlin Wall had started to build on them with its barriers and helped the two separate even more. But, the fall of the wall in 1989 completely changed the course of history, and the reunification of Germany, and ultimately the end of the Cold War.