Significance Of The Berlin Wall

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Totalitarian Presence in the Berlin Wall

The divide in Germany
The Cold War was a time of political, economic, and military tension. This clash of ideologies was worldwide and continued for decades. Germany in particular saw this clash firsthand especially in its capital of Berlin. Germany was divided between east and west after World War II, and in 1961, Berlin was permanently separated as well; both politically and military. While the west was vulnerable, the east remained protected. However, East Berlin saw their rights and freedom suppressed by the Soviet Union. East Berlin was formally known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the west, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) during this conflict of ideologies. This separation …show more content…

The split in political views, economic tension, and the meaning of freedom was visible through the wall. East Berlin’s government relied on total control of its people, but as more and more people left for west Berlin, the GDR began to lose control. This scare caused the GDR to construct the wall overnight. The GDR refused to give up control and refused to give into the democratization of the East. This stubbornness to keep its government allowed the Cold War to continue for over twenty five years. The Cold War separated two governments, the Berlin wall further imposed this. The Berlin wall continued to symbolize the status of the Cold War. As long as the wall remained up, nobody saw the Cold War ending. In a surprise turn of events, the GDR opened up the wall and the people rejoiced as they were reunited with their loved ones. The USSR began to disintegrate and eventually, east Germany elected to end its communist government. It was at this time that the people of Germany saw hope for their country to bounce back. Although the Cold War never resulted in any physical battles, people viewed the end of this political tension in Germany, as the end of the Cold War …show more content…

Humans will chase their freedom and risk their lives to achieve it. The people of east Berlin were warned and threatened, this gave the people more incentive to leave for west Berlin. Although surprised that it happened, the people of Germany and everyone around the world learned that, “the lesson of events in East Germany is that people inspired by an idea can bring down walls” (Wilentz, par. 3). The people of east Germany set themselves free by continuing to oppose the political views and demands given by the GDR. The constant pressure from the inside and outside overwhelmed the GDR to the point of giving in. Due to so many people witnessing first-hand the cons of communism, political views changed in many parts of central and east Europe. Communism was no longer seen as an appropriate government and many reformers sought to end it in their respective

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