In the year 1961, the building of Berlin Wall called upon disasters in Germany. United States controlled the west of Berlin while German Democratic Republic held the East. Being stuck under the rule of day to day terror, people from East Berlin were making their way to the West Berlin. West Berlin was a safe spot and freedom checkpoint in the middle of terror. To stop the moving of East Berliners, the East German government decided to build a barrier that limited and halted the East Berliners from leaving. But the battle to control Berlin between, the United States and the Soviet Union, had been taking place since after the division of Germany. The German Democratic Republic wanted better control over its people to spread its communist ideas
The creation of this “concentration camp” on a much larger scale, gave the GDR total control over the people . The reasoning that the German Democratic Republic provided for the creation of this gigantic wall was that many of its skilled labor were leaving to the “free land” or the West causing an economic downfall in the East. To secure its economy and to maintain it the German Democratic Republic decided to build the heavily protected Berlin Wall. This would limit the number of exodus from the East and give the German Democratic Republic a large advantage over its population. As the wall had many purposes, one of them was to see if the West would retaliate in any way in response to this move. When there was no involvement from the any of the powers that controlled the West, German Democratic Republic took advantage of this situation to its favor and increased its control. It restricted Britain and France to enter East Berlin from their normal waypoints, rather commanded them to take the route through the American passage which, moreover, was heavily guarded and every personnel was checked before entering . The Federal Republic of Germany did not do anything because as long as they received the West Berlin access, they wanted to keep the situation calm. In the hopes to avoid any conflict, the FRG had no response. This affected the East Berliners (as well as the West Berliners
“The Wall clearly marked the beginning of a period of greater domestic and international stability for the German Democratic Republic, and crucially aided East German economic growth during the 1960s by ending the labour drain and enhancing the state's control over trade and currency.” It did provide German Democratic Republic with economic stability, however, the number of suicides and people trying to cross the wall cannot be undermined. The “Grenzganger”, were exploited by not being allowed to “jump the queue” meaning even if the workers were skilled and had prior experience, they had to “start at the bottom of the factory .” The slogan “Produktionsaufgebot” was used which meant that the workers had to produce more in same time with the same pay . Though the closing of the passage between the East and West Berlin did have an increase in the agricultural aspect after the pressure as in about three weeks after the closure, it was reported that the agriculture had gained stability in the villages. However, after the sign of improvement, there was still no satisfaction among the people or the farmers and they would have left if the borders were open under these conditions
The feud between the United States of America (USA) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) lasted from the end of World War II until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The fuel that powered their feud was the desire to be the greater superpower. After World War II ended, the USSR gained control of Eastern Germany. On the night of August 13, 1961, a wall was constructed that divided the already separate East and West Berlin. This wall would become what was known around the world as the Berlin Wall. It stood as a barrier to freedom from the East Berliners. The Berlin Wall in Germany caused the USSR to lose the Space Race to the United States in 1969 because the USSR was communist, they alone had control of East Germany, and the United States was tough competition. With the Berlin Wall making tensions high in Germany during the 1960s, the USSR had a lot more business to take care of than they had thought.
My first reason why it was not worth the costs is the wall actually did not keep people out. It was not very protective. The wall affected so many things. It affected life styles, people's daily routine. It also affected families. (Doc. E). The wall was not one big long wall. It stretched three hundred miles to the west and there was a watchtower beyond the wall end. But there were still places that were not protected by the wall. The Xiongnu could just walk around the wall and them come in and invade. People may think that they are fine because the wall is protecting them but they need to be aware that there are spots that are not protected by the wall. They would spend so much money on this wall to protect people when it really does not protect them that well (Doc. D). One of the most important reasons is that they had to pay the Xiongnu to stay out and not invade them. They paid them with Silk Thread and Silk Fabric. The amount they gave them from the year 51 BCE to one BCE they almost tripled the amount! It increased a lot. If they had to pay them to stay out them that proves that the Great Wall does not work.
At the end of WWII, the United States, Great Britain, and France occupied the western zone of Germany while the Soviet Union occupied the east. In 1948, Britain, France, and the U.S. combined their territories to make one nation. Stalin then discovered a loophole. He closed all highway and rail routes into West Berlin. This meant no food or fuel could reach that part of the city. In an attempt to break the blockade, American and British officials started the Berlin airlift. For 327 days, planes carrying food and supplies into West Berlin took off and landed every few minutes. West Berlin might not have made it if it wasn’t for the airlift. By May 1949, the Soviet Union realized it was beaten and lifted the blockade. By using the policy of containment, the Americans and the British were able to defeat the Soviets.
How far only the people of Berlin were responsible for bringing down the wall is
It is 1945 and World War II has just ended with Hitler out of power however, conflict for the German people was far from over. After World War II in 1945 Germany was split up into different zones. Berlin, Germany’s capital was also divided into occupation zones; East Berlin and East Germany was run by the Soviet Union while West Berlin and West Germany was controlled by Western Allies, France, Great Britain, and the United States (Hyder). Over the next 16 years tensions rose due to defections from the East and the West this led to the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961. It was built to keep the ideas of a Western democracy out of East Germany’s communist government. The Berlin Wall was built in the hopes of having a beneficial outcome for
A seventh grader asks his dad about the eighties. Unfortunately his dad can't remember anything about the eighties;and the older sister helps him remember the past. “Berlin Wall Piece,” by Sam Shepard is a story where a small piece of concrete helps a crazy father remember his modern history. A theme for the story would be: how a small piece of history can bring back so many old memories and controversies. When the story first opens up, a seventh grader is interviewing his father for his social studies class. The father is being questioned by his own son or daughter. The story does not reveal the sex of the youngest child. The father is unaware of the past; he can't remember absolutely nothing. The youngest child is confused, and cannot understand why his father can't help him. The father explains to the child that there was nothing important going in the eighties. The most important and significant thing for his father was the birth of his two children and his wife. The rest of it was lies, trash, and insignificant things the world had offered him. The truth was that nothing more matter to him than his children and wife. He had everything in the world he could ever wish for. The young child could not understand his fathers intentions to his answers. It was all a big mystery.
To glance, it seems bizarre why the decision to build the wall in the heart of Europe which divided a large city was taken. In this respect, it is necessary to take into consideration the historical circumstances, which led to the creation of the Wall. Naturally, the tension between the world’s superpowers grew and the division of the world into socialist and Democratic Party was practically inevitable. In such a situation Berlin, being occupied and controlled by four countries, the US, the UK, France and the USSR, could not fail to remain the epicenter of the international tension. In fact, there were a lot of factors which contributed to the decision to build the war in Berlin, such as a currency reform in 1948 and the following ineffective
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 precipitated the Reunification of Germany in 1990. Negotiations and talks between East German’s Lothar de Maiziere and West German’s Helmut Kohl and the four occupying powers of United States, United Kingdom, France, and Soviet Union resulted in the Unification Treaty or the “Two plus Four Treaty” recognizing the sovereignty of the newly unified German state. The five states of German Democratic Republic or East Germany united with Federal Republic of Germany or West Germany and Berlin became a unified city on October 3, 1990 marking the die wende or Turning Point. “By early 1991, however, not much more than a year after the barricade surrounding the Brandenburg Gate was actually removed, most Germans, East and West, were asking themselves whether the Wall’s absence was, by itself sufficient to bring the nation together again” (McAdams 199).” Zealous attempts to restructure East Germany’s economy after reunification in 1990 led to massive debt and high taxation, sparking disillusionment and frustration among German citizens, which resulted in a divided and unequal economy.
In conclusion Berlin Wall was an important milestone in the growth of the Cold War. It was the expansion that represented the thinking of a determined Communist system. Western Capitalism, which was more powerful, eventually defeated the system. The massive wall that did so much harm to a country was finally destroyed, and the people of Germany could now live the way they all wanted to live. They could live the life of freedom. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall East Germany has went through a lot of changes, and it still is not easy for all of the people in East Germany. But no matter how hard it is for the people of East Germany now, it is better than being alone and separated from their families, friends and rest of Europe.
In the last fifty years the German Democratic Republic has been a nonstop changing country. In Germany, the terms “East” and “West” do not just represent geographically regions. It runs much deeper than that, and there is still a large gap in the way of life, and political and social conditions of the whole country. While most German’s were sleeping on the night of August 13, 1961, the East German government began closing its borders. In the early morning of that Sunday, most of the first work was done: the border to West Berlin was closed. The East German troops had begun to tear up streets and to install barbed wire entanglement and fences through Berlin. Between 1961 and today, the Berlin Wall saw many changes, and so did the people that it entrapped.
After World War II, when Germany was defeated, it was divided into four zones, one for each of the Allies. The eastern part went to the Russians. The other Allied Powers, France, Britain and the U.S. divided the Western portion of the city among themselves.
In 1961 the Berlin wall made a difference by splitting eastern and western Germany. First, People were trying to climb the wall but got shot to their death. To Continue, Families got split. So, People would try to cross the border by going under the wall. Then, as many that tried to escaped got shot to their death to prevent them from leaving.
The collapse of the Berlin Wall changed Western Europe as we know it today. The Iron Curtain which had split Europe had ascended and the once divided germans were reunited under one common nation. The causal factors which resulted in the fall of the Berlin Wall were internal — communism imploded upon itself—. Gorbachev attempted to reform communism through Glasnost and Perestroika, which were supposed to incorporate economic reforms and transparency, however, history illustrates that increased liberty is incompatible with communism. Dr. Schmidtke argued that structural deficiencies led along with poor economic growth which led to the collapse of communism in Europe, and consequently the collapse of the Berlin Wall. The alienation of intellectuals and the authoritative nature of communist regimes further contributed to the failure of communism in Europe. However, the collapse of the Berlin Wall would not have occurred had it not been for Gorbachev’s Glasnost, Perestroika, and the end of the Brezhnev Doctrine. Along with German official Schabowski whose actions were the catalyst for the mass exodus of persons from the GDR into West Germany. The Collapse of the Berlin Wall would not have occurred so swiftly had Gorbachev not tried to implement reforms to communism.
The East feared that its people would leave for the West side and learn about democracy, and this would mess up their communist propaganda, as I said in the previous paragraph the east was getting more and more nervous about its citizens crossing the border. Doris M. Epler states, “The Berlin Wall was erected by the Communist government of East Germany to keep East German citizens from escaping to the West”(11). The entire reasoning behind this wall was to prevent migration from happening, so East Germany could keep its citizens in to participate in its Communist government. These two sides of Germany had been separated for a while, but it took several years until there was a physical barrier between the two countries. Epler says, “This is what happened in the city of Berlin, once the proud capital of Germany. In 1961, the Berlin Wall was erected… It stood for twenty-eight years… The division of Germany and Berlin was to be only a temporary situation. However, it would be only forty-four years until reunification would take place” (11,27). This explains that the East and West were isolated from each other sixteen years before the wall even went up. The wall was an epic failure, as it did not prevent people from migrating from the East. Also stated by Doris, people still tried to cross even though their chances were slim, and ingenious people still managed to get to the
The Berlin Wall was constructed on August 13, 1961 as a border to separate East Germany from West Germany. It was viewed as a powerful symbol of Communist tyranny and it also demonstrated Germany’s division during the late 1900s. Germany was divided because of the different beliefs of the people. East Germany, led by the head of the Communist Party Erich Honecker, promoted communism while West Germany promoted Western style beliefs which included the United States, France, and Great Britain. For example, West Germany belief in a democracy in which the citizens were given the power to elect officials of their choice into office. Many of East Germany’s citizens were fled to the West because of the amount of opportunities being offered and as a