Mar 7, 2024 | Walking Tour

Did the Berlin Wall Work as Intended? Let’s Find Out

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Introduction

This ‘berlin Wall,’ was built in 1961 by the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a wall that cut Berlin in the physically- spatial Half Taco and the West: East, Berlin in the period of Cold War. But, to the contrary, has this notorious construction met the intended objective of its creation? In response to this question, there is need for a progression toward analysis of the wall function, consequence, and destruction.

The purpose of this paper is therefore to explore the background to the construction of the Berlin Wall.

The first purpose of the Berlin Wall was to prevent East Germans from moving to the border with West Germany first because the latter had much higher standard of living and a hundred times more personal freedom than the East Germans. The GDR government justified construction of the wall to avoid exposing East Germans to so called imperialists and for protection of GDR as a socialist state.

1. As a consequence we have the securing of the East German Regime.

East Germany knew the economic and brain drain as a result of the emigration of the educated and the skilled was costing them dear and they built walls. This work of asserting power and control over the population; to keep the East Germans in and control their movement for establishment of socialism the government sought a ban on their travel outside the country.

2. Symbol of the Cold War

The division by wall constructed in the middle of Berlin in the years of the Cold War reshape popular culture in both camps. It was the last of the Iron Curtain personifying the emblems of the battle ground between communism and capitalism.

The Impact of the Berlin Wall

The construction of the Berlin Wall also had consequences of east and West Germans, as well as inter- national relations in the long run.

1. Human Tragedy

This led to Berlin Wall construction being surrounded with so much human suffering. All were divided; parents and their friends, the latter on the other rebate on the wire. As many became open-air smugglers, tens of thousands of people tried to repair across the wall and many died while they were digging under it.

2. Economic Consequences

The Wall deeply injured the economic status of the West and East Berlin. Sections of this great city that was once full of life became empty: the commercial establishments and the industries were localized. The actualizing of the city division meant that West Berlin had to spend a lot of money for the integration hence the economic burden was all placed to West Berlin.

3. Political Symbolism

You know the Berlin Wall being eventually and time, it transformed into the symbol of liberty and the defects of communism. It intensified the rivalry of United States of America and Soviet Union since both considered the wall as the symbol of triumph of its model of functioning.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

This had been 28 years of the partition of East and West Germany before the Berlin Wall ceased to break off on November, 9 1989. It is possible to include the event in question in the list of events that can affect German history and world history.

1. Peaceful Protests

Again the East Germany received a very big protest against the governments and the discovery made by the Soviet Union of being lenient on travel ban made the pressure mounted on the government for reunification to increase. Gentle protest were very important especially the Brandenburg Gate protest in the demolition of the Berlin Wall.

2. The Second Halifax International Conference on Reunification and the Ending of the Cold War

The Berlin Wall split the city of Berlin and the two different German structures meaning that its break down resulted to Germany reunification year 1990. It also ended the Cold war because the began erecting walls around the soviet dominated region of Eastern Europe began to fall.

Conclusion

However, building the wall was to prevent the east Germans from crossing to the side of the city occupied by west Germans but it was not fully achieved. Instead it created a symbol of a slave driver, and portrayed how communism had actually failed in stemming the spirit of the people for freedom. Most likely one of the greatest accomplishments of the late twentieth century and one of the major setbacks for communism as well as one of the major events that defined the Cold War was the coming down of the Berlin Wall.

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