The History of The Berlin Wall - Essay Example

The Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall was constructed by the GDR as a barrier to cut off the region of West Berlin from East Berlin and the surrounding areas in East Germany. Construction started on the 13th of August 1961, and it included towers for guards that were positioned on the concrete walls. These walls acted as a perimeter for the death strip, which consisted of trenches to stop cars as well as other defence forms. The eastern side of the wall claimed that this was for the protection of the region’s population against elements of fascism, which were plotting to stop the will of the people in the creation of an Eastern German socialist state. The wall’s real purpose was most likely to halt defection and emigration, which had marked The Eastern block of communism and Germany after the end of the Second World War. This paper aims to discuss the building, function, and fall of the Berlin wall. The Berlin wall separated the people of West Berlin and East Berlin for twenty-eight years. Following the end of World War two in the year 1945, the allies on victory divided Germany into four parts. These allies were Russia, the United States, France, and Britain. Each ally took control of one sector. The sectors taken over by the British, French, and the United States merged to form the federal Republic of Germany, or West Germany. The sector controlled by the Russians became a communist republic, East Germany or as it was then called the German Democratic Republic. This was ratified on October the 7th of 1949. This created an invisible barrier that separated the West from the East. Winston Churchill christened this barrier the Iron Curtain. Despite the fact that Berlin lay deep in Soviet territory, the allies had agreed to divide the city. This led to another quarterly subdivision. The French, British, and U. S. sectors merged to form the city of West Berlin, with the sector controlled by the Soviets becoming the capital of East Germany and being called East Berlin. These new countries were established, not by the general population, but by the occupying forces. While the communists ruled the eastern region, most of its residents were not happy with communism and were not communists themselves. However, not a part of the iron curtain, the Berlin Wall was erected, in 1961, and acted as a reminder of the existence of the iron curtain. The wall itself was constructed from cement, steel, and barbed wire fences reinforced with explosives and traps. The wall was adorned by guard towers regularly positioned with weaponry and machineguns operated by special guards. Crossing this barrier was almost impossible if one did not possess the express authority of the communist government. One story that stood out during the early days of the wall was that of a 19-year-old guard, who leapt to the Western side, after realizing that he was imprisoning rather than protecting his people. He came to this conclusion after being witness to the tearful separation of families. The Eastern Germans were soon dissatisfied with political and economic conditions of the GDR. The government had outlawed the private ownership of land as well as private trade. The citizens were also made to work on state owned collective farms. Supplies and food also became scarce, and shortages were experienced in the entire city and the rest of the country. Between January and august of 1961, 160,000 refugees made the crossing from East Germany to West Germany searching for better lives. This was a cause of considerable embarrassment to the government of Eastern Germany and the other Soviet bloc countries. The then Russian premier, Nikita Khrushchev, ordered the construction of the wall to stop refugees from flowing into Western Berlin. Beginning 13th August 1961, the GDR began construction of what they called an antifascist wall using obstacles to stop tanks and barbed wire. On realizing that the Eastern Germans were still escaping, the GDR reinforced the wall with tanks stationed on vital streets and supplied by the Russian Red Army. The streets were shorn of their pavements, which were used to make barricades. Over time, tunnels were built to go underneath the wall. This method become an enduring legacy for the resistance movement and excavated by hundreds of East German University students. The largest of the tunnels was at number sixty Wernerstrasse’s basement from which 29 people were freed. The GDR, on the 23rd of August 1961, stopped telephone lines, railroads, and subways going into the West of Berlin. East Berliners were no longer granted entry into western Berlin through the borders, including workers numbering over 100,000 who worked in the western sector of Berlin. Despite this, East Berliners were still able to get out. They used various methods such as bribing soldiers with cigarettes and cash. Following scaling of the wall, the GDR banned the sale of twine and rope. The GDR then proceeded to begin demolishing all the houses that were close to the wall in September of 1961. They went on to start erection of a permanent wall, made of concrete, which on completion measured 166 kilometres, in length and averaged a height of four metres topped with barbed wire and concrete tubing. Behind the wall, the GDR built a trench to halt vehicles. Following this was a track to be used for patrols with a watchdog corridor, bunkers, and watchtowers. Behind this was a second wall that enclosed the no man’s land, which cut 192 streets off. Approximately six thousand people attempted to escape, with hundreds shot by GDR guards, when the wall stood for 28 years as standing as barrier. Check point Charley was used as the main American sector pint for access to West Berlin. On the 17th of August 1962, an 18-year-old boy was gunned down scaling the wall and left to bleed out by the border guards. His death resulted in riots all over West Berlin, with the West Berliners starting to resent Americans for not aiding the youth while he was bleeding. US President John F. Kennedy travelled to Berlin after this incident to mediate the fall of the wall. A daring story, during this period, was the purchase of numerous amounts of nylon cloth, by the Strelzycks and the Wetzels, who used it to make a hot air balloon large enough for eight people. The balloon was launched on 15th of September 1979 from a field that was deserted; falling 23 minutes later after the gas burner went off. They, however, landed safely in West Germany. The sale of lightweight fabrics was banned in East Germany after this daring and embarrassing escape. The end of the GDR and the Berlin wall began when Hungary opened its borders to westerners. This was because one communist state to another was allowed. East Germans were free to move between East Germany and Hungary. This allowed them to move from Hungary to West Germany and any other state in the West of Europe. East Germany embarked on the road to reform. There were massive demonstrations on Mondays in Leipzig. On the 9th of November 1989, the then East German Prime Minister Gunter Schabowski, also the leader of the Communist Party of East Berlin, announced the opening of the border for private trips. Wall woodpeckers began to chisel and hammer away at the wall, soon after which came mass emigration to Western Berlin by East Berliners. In both cities, there were mass celebrations. These celebrations were especially raucous at Brandenburg Gate and Potsdamer Gate. Checkpoints were availed for pedestrian crossing at both gates on December 22nd 1989. Finally, West and West Germany were reunited on July the 15th of 1990. The two assumed the old Federal republic of Germany name. All; travel and other restrictions were dropped between the two. The entire wall was finally brought down with the exception of the areas of the wall that held historical importance. Like the front area, of the Berlin Parliament, and the places adorned with anti separation graffiti art. While the fall of the wall and reunification of Germany was a notable triumph for the people of Germany, the wall left emotional and economic scars that can only heal over time. Read More