More handpicked essays just for you.
An essay on the Berlin wall
Political and economical problems from the berlin wall
An essay on the Berlin wall
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Outline THESIS: From research and historical analysts, we can conclude that in many cases the people of Germany have been effected socially and economically by the building and construction of the Berlin Wall. I. Background A. Beginning construction B. Closing borders C. Pre-Berlin Wall II. History A. Cold War B. World War II C. Economy III. Post- Berlin Wall effects A. Economic examples B. Political examples Conclusion 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. Prior to the construction of the Berlin Wall, boarders between East and West Germany were closed in 1952 because of tension between Communists and Democratic superpowers and the only open crossing left in Berlin. West Germany was blockaded by the Soviets and only kept alive because of air drops made by the Western Allies (Time). The Soviets had to do something about the mass amount of people leaving Soviet East Berlin for West Berlin, and the non-communist world. The most visible aspect of the Cold War was the Berlin Wall. Before the wall was constructed, East and West Germans could travel freely between the two states. The number of East Germans fleeing to West was an embarrassment to the Communists, and something had to be done to pro... ... middle of paper ... ...in a recent pole, 40% of young people in this area would vote for this party of former communists. In the West however, all of the districts, excluding one voted for the conservative Christian Democratic Union. (Time Nov 20th) Though times were tough for many years for some Germans, things are improving slowly. While the wall was erect, many Germans had high hopes of change and continue to strive towards equality nationwide. In June of 1963 when John F. Kennedy visited Berlin, he gave a very impacting speech to the people of Berlin, "There are some who say that Communism is the wave of the future. Let them come to Berlin" (Sidey). Although the wall no longer physically stands, it still today divides Germany and Berlin into two separate states today. Works Cited Benjamin, Daniel. “Wall of Shame.” Time. November 20, 1989 Canning, Kathleen. “Responses to German Reunification.” The Journal of the International Institute. 2000. The Regents of the University of Michigan. 07 March 05 Sidey, Hugh. “The Presidency.” Time. November 20, 1989 Wallace, Charles P., “Across the Great Divide.” Time Europe. Nov. 15, 1999
The main reason why the Berlin Wall caused the USSR to lose the Space Race to the United States was because the USSR was a communist nation, and therefore so was East Germany. The East Germans did not like living in a communist society. This caused hundreds of thousands of East Germans to flee to the West to live in a democracy (Burgan 14). With this being the case, the USSR had no civilian support in Germany, and often had to stop East Germans from fleeing west to freedom. This caused the USSR to employ more border control, which cost the government more money, and therefore hurting the economy of East Germany, as well as in the USSR. In addition to no civilian support, Communist Germany was not granted Marshall Plan (Burgan 32). Marshall Plan was the economic aid provide...
“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 Era of a Divided Continent (New York: Markus Wiener Publishing, Inc., 1991) 27. 3 Ralph B. Levering, The Cold War (Illinois: Harlan Davidson, Inc., 1988), 169. 4 Leverage, 169. 5 Leverage, 169. 6 John Young, Cold War Europe 1945-1989 (New York: Edward Allen, 1991), 26. 7 Leverage, 171-2.
The wall came down and so did the Iron Curtain. East and West Germany reunited. The war had ended, and there was peace for the Berliners. The rights to express their opinions and to travel wherever were restored to them finally.
The Berlin Wall was a tangible symbol of the suppression of human rights by the bloc of Eastern Germany during the Cold War. The people of Berlin Germany were divided by a wall because of issues between the free world and the communist world.
At the end of world war II germany was divided by the four winning super powers to determine germany's fate. When germany was divided russia was given the largest part. there were a few reason said why the berlin wall were built. The wall was to keep fashist from the west from entering communist east germany. But the reason was that ⅙ of east germany's population fled to the west before the wall was put up. And in Total There were around 2,400 people that tried to flee to west germany in the time it
Berlin cleaned up the war mess, grew and prospered, not quite as dynamically as West Germany, but not too far behind.
The division of Germany into West Germany and East Germany emerged as a stopgap solution for the woeful state of the nation following its defeat in the Second World War. With the United States (US) ultimately gaining full control over West Germany, East Germany increasingly became alienated towards it, as it went under the influence of the Soviet Union (USSR). West Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), rapidly grew into one of the most politically and economically influential nations in Europe representing the democratic interests of the US in the region, while East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR), went seemingly the other way. East Germans became increasingly disillusioned by the way their politicians have promoted communism in the GDR, characterized by oppressive measures and sheer inequality in living standards. The Stasi, the secret police unit of the GDR, closely monitored East Germans and purged those who are suspected or proven dissidents, while politicians of the nation enjoyed living standards that are way superior compared to the average East German. West Germans, on the other hand, enjoyed the benefits of political and economic reforms brought forth by the democratic influence of the US. Therefore, discontentment among East Germans increased the prospect of unification of the FRG and GDR – an issue that was never written off in consideration, only further complicated by political differences. Nevertheless, eventual unification of the FRG and GDR following the symbolic collapse of the Berlin Wall did not completely result to favorable circumstances, as problems that continued to alienate matters between the Western and Eastern sections of Germany remain unresolved (Brockman ...
Before the wall got built in1961, East German peoples could travel to West Berlin to visit there family’s. On May 8th, 1945 the World War II ended. June 24th, 1948 the Soviet Military started the Berlin Blockade. Germany was divided in four different parts after World War II. Each part was controlled by a different part of a country. Twenty- eight years and “Iron curtain” East and West Berlin got divided in the heart of Germany.
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.
What if I told you that Berlin, a city, was once separated like two different countries? This wall slashed through the rights of the people of Germany. People have the right to go and live where they choose. Constructing a wall to trap and limit people was wrong. The people of Germany were oppressed economically and politically. The Berlin Wall split a city, of people, tearing apart families and friends for decades, and becoming a powerful symbol of the Cold War, representing the deepening divide between East and West. The building of the Berlin Wall in August 1961, dividing families and neighborhoods in what had been the capital of Germany. Which created a huge conflict around the world.
The Berlin Wall was a large concrete structure that divided East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989. It caused many problems between the two countries, with the East being government controlled and the West being separated from families. The tearing down of this wall was important because it signified the end of Communist rule, it brought East and West Berlin back together, and it showed the supremacy of the Capitalist government. If this wall wasn’t torn down, communism could’ve spread to larger parts of Europe. If it had spread, our society wouldn't have been like it is today.
The author, Fredrick Taylor did an outstanding job of collecting official history, archives and personal accounts that tell the complete story of the rise and fall of The Wall. Taylor sets the scene with the defeat of the Nazis in 1945. The Soviets occupying the east of Berlin, and American, French and British forces in the west, Berlin was suddenly the embodiment of the post-war world’s great divide. Before long, thousands of young East Berliners were crossing the open border to take up better education and employment opportunities in West Germany. The leader of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), Walter Ulbricht noticed this and turned to Moscow for help. By 1961, two million East Germans had deserted their country and radical action was required. Then officially on the morning August 13th, 1961, the first barbed wire and then concrete barriers appeared, prompting a wave of desperate escape attempts. Taylor does a great job of narrating the desperate bids for freedom. The desperation of people and the things that they did were shocking. Some swam through the icy waters of the river Spree, some went through sewer pipes, and some were crazy enough to try going through the frontier with fo...
In 1961 one of the most iconic monuments of the Cold War was built…the Berlin Blockade. According to the History Channel, tensions grew in Berlin when the United States, France, and Britain moved into their occupation zones. In response Russia launched a land blockade of West Berlin in an effort to force the West out of the city. “For the next 28 years, the heavily fortified Berlin Wall stood as the most tangible symbol of the Cold War-a literal “iron curtain” dividing Europe.”(The History Channel, 2010) The East Germans built a all to permanently close of access to West Germany. Many East Germans were dissatisfied with life under 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