The Berlin Wall It was built on August 13, 1961 and torn down 28 years later on November 9, 1989.
The wall divided the city of Berlin in two in order to prevent the emigration of the population of East Berlin to the West side.
In this way, between 1961 and 1989, the city was divided into two distinct zones:West Berlin and East Berlin.
Origin of the Berlin Wall
To understand the existence of the Berlin Wall, we need to remember the context of the Cold War (1945-1991). This was a geopolitical dispute that started at the end of World War II (1939-1945) between the United States (leading the capitalist bloc) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (leading the socialist bloc).
At the end of the Second World War, the main victors – England, the United States, France and the Soviet Union – occupied the defeated Germany. In the city of Berlin this situation was seen more clearly, as the three nations also appropriated Berlin.
The first three countries had the same political-economic alignment, that is, capitalism. Thus, they created the “tripartite” zone, something that did not please Stalin, as it threatened the territory occupied by the USSR.
In 1948, Stalin decreed the “Blockade of Berlin”, a “peaceful” siege that prevented the arrival of supplies to West Germany, by land and rivers. The response of the United States and England was to use planes to guarantee supplies and transport.
The siege was broken on 13 May 1949 and the Allies remained in Berlin. Likewise, on the 23rd of the same month, they create the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), preventing Stalin from taking over all German territory.
For its part, the USSR decrees the creation of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) on October 7, 1949.
Berlin and the Wall
If Germany suffered all from this division, it was worse for the city of Berlin. The former capital was in full Soviet-occupied territory and was cut – literally – in two.
The Middle Wall was about 155 kilometers long, crossed 24 kilometers of rivers and 30 kilometers of forests. It interrupted the route of eight urban train lines, four subway lines and cut 193 streets and avenues.
It was defended by fences with alarms, electric fences and barbed wire, dotted with more than 300 observation towers, patrolled by guard dogs and well-armed soldiers. These were ordered to shoot to kill anyone who tried to cross it.
Some buildings suffered directly from the consequences of the construction, such as the Church of Reconciliation, from 1894, which was restricted to residents on the communist side. In the 1980s, with the aim of creating an area next to the wall (which became known as the death zone), the GDR government opted for its demolition in 1985.
Another place torn apart was the Sophien Cemetery which became accessible only to East Berliners. His area was cut off and several bodies were not properly removed.
However, one street became the symbol of this division:the "Bernauer Strasse" (Bernauer street). With a length of 1.4 km, the Wall took up almost the entire area and the adjacent buildings had their windows walled up.
There, the first fatal victim who tried to escape from East Berlin took place, on August 22, 1961, when a resident jumped from the third floor and died in the fall.
Escapes through the Berlin Wall
An estimated 118 people died risking crossing the Wall. Another 112 were shot at or plummeted from heights, but survived and were arrested along with about 70,000 people accused of treason for trying to flee the German Democratic Republic.
However, 5,075 people managed to overcome all these barriers and reach West Germany.
The construction of the Berlin Wall
Escapes from the east to the west were commonplace before 1960 and around 2,000 people escaped daily, in search of better living conditions on the capitalist side.
In 1961, in order to prevent further escapes, Walter Ulbricht (1893-1973), General Secretary of the Communist Party of the German Democratic Republic, decreed a new blockade on the free movement of armed forces on both sides in the city of Berlin.
Thus, on August 13, 1961, construction began on a great wall that would become the ultimate symbol of the Cold War.
On a daily basis, thousands of families were affected, as many relatives and friends were on opposite sides and unable to meet.
On October 27, 1961, due to an incident, US tanks came to face Soviet tanks at the CheckPoint Charlie border post. Fortunately, no one fired and the situation was resolved through diplomatic channels.
See also:East GermanyFall of the Berlin Wall
The history of the Berlin Wall parallels the Cold War.
In 1963, US President John Kennedy, visiting Berlin, makes a memorable speech in solidarity with West Berlin, where he declares that he was a Berliner. However, the two Germanys would only resume diplomatic ties ten years later, while the USSR and the United States tried to reduce the tension of the Cold War.
Both the USSR and its communist bloc partners were going through an economic and political crisis. Therefore, they used openness strategies to oxygenate their regimes.
In 1987 it was US President Ronald Reagan's turn to challenge Mikhail Gorbachev to bring down the Wall. Meanwhile, Gorbachev was preparing the gradual opening of the Soviet Union to the world.
At the same time, several demonstrations for more freedom are recorded on both sides of the German border. In a televised statement, East German politicians announce the opening of the border.
In the Eastern European bloc itself, several countries carried out timid reforms. In 1989, for example, the Hungarian government opened its borders, allowing Germans to reach West Germany en masse.
As no specific date was given, a crowd of Berliners went to the Wall on November 9, 1989, and started tearing it down with their own tools. Despite all this effort, the Wall was only really destroyed by bulldozers.
Until today part of the Berlin Wall has been maintained in the German capital. Part of it became a mural of paintings for internationally renowned artists, while others serve as monuments so that this terrible construction will never be forgotten.
Finally, East Germany and West Germany united on October 3, 1990, eleven months after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
We have more texts on this subject :
- Arms Race
- Mikhail Gorbachev
Bibliographic References
Facts and figures from the Berlin Wall in Deutsche Welle.Access:25.06.2020
Documentary in Spanish:Los años del Muro. Life in divided Berlin . Access:06.25.2020.