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Why Did East Germany Construct the Berlin Wall?

by | Mar 7, 2024 | World War Tour Berlin

The world started its day on August 13, 1961 with the shock of Berlin Wall being built. The barrier turned Berlin into two parts East and West Berlin while splitting families and turning the thriving city into an important symbol of Cold War tensions. What led East Germany to build the Berlin Wall? This exploration will discuss why East Germany decided to create the Berlin Wall.

The Berlin Wall: Securing East Germany

East Germany built a wall to stop people from leaving the country. Right after World War II ended East German lost a large number of educated professionals and young people who chose to move to West Germany’s better economic conditions. When people left East Germany in droves it damaged their economy and made their socialist leadership less secure.

East Germans attempted dangerous flights to break out from Communist opposition

The Berlin Wall acted like a severe wall to stop any East German from reaching Western territories. East Germans left their home country at risk of death because they opposed the socialist government’s restrictions on freedom and wanted better job prospects and personal liberty. The government placed the wall there to stop people leaving and protect its power over state affairs.

The Power Politics and World War Cold War Influenced the Development

The building of the Berlin Wall strengthened global Cold War conflicts among Eastern and Western leaders. The United States Soviet Union Britain and France assumed administrative control of separate parts of Germany after World War II ended. As the only German city deep in Soviet occupations Berlin also split into four portions. When Soviet and Western political views struggled with each other the tension between these sides increased.

Communist and capitalist territories split through war brought their divide to life as the Berlin Wall showed all. Under Soviet direction East Germany planned to maintain firm command over communist nations by setting up permanent barriers between socialism and western capitalistic societies. The wall separated East and West effectively but maintained its silent message about world division.

Preventing Western Influence

East German leaders created the Berlin Wall to protect their region by stopping Western ideas from entering the Communist Eastern Bloc. The Communist government of East Germany wanted to block Western beliefs about democracy and socialism from circulating in society because these ideas caused successful resistance against their power. East Germany built a physical barrier between the communist East and capitalist West to stop revolutionary movements that threatened their socialist political system.

International Reactions and Outcome

The world reacted with forceful action when the Berlin Wall went up. Western countries denounced this outlawed action as an extreme abuse of rights which split families apart and curtailed personal liberty. For almost 30 years international pressure failed to make East Germany remove the wall which became known as a symbol of Cold War tensions.

When the Berlin Wall went up it split both lives and belief systems. It took many years to rebuild them. The wall showed how strict Eastern Bloc authority leaders sought to maintain control of their countries. Germany started to bring itself back together as the Berlin Wall fell at midnight on November 9, 1989.

Lessons Learned from the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall’s creation and collapse shows us how limiting personal freedom harms society when a nation choose to separate itself from the world. The outstanding success of people seeking a better future shows how strong human determination defeats ruthless rulers.

Why Did East Germany Construct the Berlin Wall?