We explain what the Berlin Wall was, when and why it was built, its political significance and its destruction at the end of the Cold War.
The Berlin Wall was built by the German Democratic Republic to prevent the exile of its citizens.
What was the Berlin Wall?
The Berlin Wall was a border wall that divided and surrounded the city of Berlin between 1961 and 1989.. Its construction took place within the framework of the Cold War and the separation of the world into two opposing blocks of communism and capitalism.
The government of the German Democratic Republic (GDR, of the Communist Bloc) ordered its construction with the aim of containing the migration of its citizens to the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, of the capitalist Bloc), which offered better political, economic and social conditions.
The official name of the wall was the “Anti-Fascist Protection Wall”. However, in the Western world it was known as the “Wall of Shame” and It was considered the symbol of oppression of communist regimes.It was a border security wall, with 45 kilometers of wall dividing the city into two parts and another 120 kilometers surrounding West Berlin and separating it from the rest of the GDR.
The destruction of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 marked the end of the Cold War. The restoration of free border crossings between the two Germanys was a triumph of civil demonstrations against the oppression of the communist regime. At the international level, represented the fall of the Eastern Communist Bloc and led to the final dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Frequent questions
What did the Berlin Wall divide?
The Berlin Wall divided the city into East Berlin (under the communist government of the German Democratic Republic) and West Berlin (under the capitalist government of the Federal Republic of Germany).
When did the Berlin Wall fall?
The Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989, when the government of the German Democratic Republic enabled border traffic and Berlin citizens tore down parts of the wall.
What did the Berlin Wall represent?
The Berlin Wall represented the division of the world into two opposing blocs during the Cold War. For the West, the Wall was a symbol of communist oppression of civil liberties. For the Eastern Bloc, the Wall represented a necessary containment to stop the advance of capitalism over the rest of the German Democratic Republic.
Why was the Berlin Wall torn down?
The Berlin Wall was torn down because the government of the German Democratic Republic could no longer contain its citizens’ demands for free movement across borders and greater freedoms. This occurred in the general context of the crisis that the communist Eastern Bloc was going through, which led to the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.
Background to the construction of the Berlin Wall
At the end of World War II, one of the central problems for the victorious powers was what to do with Germany. The country had been divided into four zones, occupied by the troops of the different Allied countries: the United Kingdom, France, the United States and the Soviet Union. Berlin, the German capital, was located in the area controlled by the USSR; but the city was also divided between the four powers.
In turn, the United States and the USSR began to compete for power and political influence worldwide, which gave rise to the Cold War. In this framework, competition began for the imposition of two different and opposing socioeconomic models: communism or capitalism.
In 1948, the Western Allies (United Kingdom, United States and France) introduced a new currency (the German mark) with the assistance of the Marshall Plan (an economic plan promoted by the United States for the economic reconstruction of Europe) in the west of the country. This was detrimental to the economy of the zone occupied by the Soviet Union.
In response, Stalin (the leader of the USSR) ordered the blockade of all land access to Berlin and prevented the entry of food and essential goods. Stalin believed that in this way the Western Allies would end up ceding the entire capital. However, the Western Allies created an “air bridge” through which Western Allied planes brought in 4,700 tons of supplies daily.
Finally, in 1949, Stalin lifted the blockade of the city. That same year, The Western Allies officially created the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, also known as West Germany). They established a parliamentary regime with the ruling Konrad Adenauer and maintained a capitalist economy, driven by the consumption of goods and assisted by the Marshall Plan.
In the East, The USSR founded the German Democratic Republic (GDR, also known as East Germany) and established a single-party government regime in the hands of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED). In turn, the economy was structured around the forced collectivization of industry and land within the framework of the construction of a State with centralized economic planning.
The Berlin crisis
The four-party occupation of the Reich capital left West Berlin as an outpost of the capitalist bloc in the middle of the GDR. This area of the city became a fundamental geostrategic enclave for the Western Allies as it functioned as a center for espionage, anti-Soviet propaganda and military settlement of troops.
On the other hand, The FRG experienced an “economic miracle” that transformed it into one of the fastest growing and strongest economies in the world. This was largely due to assistance from the Marshall Plan, a United States plan for the economic reconstruction of Europe after World War II.
In the case of the FRG, the plan established a monetary reform for a “social market economy,” in agreement with the government, corporations and unions. This growth and the circulation of a variety of consumer goods (the “conveniences” of capitalist life) led to a mass migration of inhabitants from East Berlin to West Berlin.
Many of the Berliners who moved to the western area were skilled workers, middle class bourgeois and professionals. This, in turn, created a crisis in the East Berlin labor market.
Given this situation, on November 27, 1958, Nikita Khrushchev (the leader of the USSR) threatened the Western powers about the situation in Berlin and gave them six months to reach a new agreement. His proposal was that West Berlin would be granted the status of a “free city” and would be outside the control of the Western powers. Otherwise, the USSR would cede control of access and sovereignty over the territory completely to the GDR. This threat is known as the “Berlin Ultimatum”.
Western powers and the German government rejected the ultimatum.. Instead, they offered Khrushchev the possibility of creating a negotiating table between the four powers on condition that the USSR would abandon its threats of a bloc and the use of force. The negotiations took place over the next three years and were affected by the different policies pursued by the governments of the GDR and the FRG.
The construction of the Berlin Wall
In early 1961, Walter Ulbricht (the leader of the SED that ruled the GDR) began to establish increasingly rigid controls on the streets of Berlin seeking to undermine the rights of the Allies gradually.
His aim was to force the situation so that the USSR would support a drastic measure that would allow him to take over the city. However, it had the opposite effect: Khrushchev intervened directly to censure this action and opposed unilateral decisions being taken in the GDR.
Meanwhile, JF Kennedy (the US President) and Khrushchev met in Vienna in 1961 to continue negotiations. However, there was no agreement as Kennedy refused to budge from the Western position on his three key points (known as “three essentials”): maintenance of the Western presence in West Berlin, maintenance of the right of access, free choice by West Berlin of its political regime.
The acceleration of the pace of escapes from East Berlin to West Berlin led the government of The GDR ordered the creation of a wall to separate both areas of the cityConstruction began unexpectedly on the night of 12-13 August 1961. The aim was to strengthen border control and completely isolate West Berlin.
In the West the Berlin Wall was called the “Wall of Shame.” Its construction outraged Western public opinion, further discredited the Soviet position and became the painful symbol of the Cold War and communist totalitarian oppression.
Characteristics of the Berlin Wall
The original wall was made of barbed wire and cement blocks.. The construction was then strengthened and replaced with concrete walls finished with barbed wire on top. In addition, watch towers, gun emplacements and mines were built. Over time, An electrified fence system was added. A border guard system was also created with police dogs and anti-vehicle barriers.
Around 1980, The Berlin Wall was 45 kilometers long, dividing the city in two, and another 120 kilometers of wall surrounded West Berlin. to separate it from the rest of East Germany. Most of the wall was between 2.5 and 3.5 metres high, although in some places it could reach 5 metres in height. In total, more than 300 watchtowers had been built.
It is estimated that Around 5,000 East Germans managed to cross the Berlin Wall and escape to West Germany. It is also estimated that another 5,000 were captured by border police and almost 200 people were killed in their attempt to cross the wall.
The fall of the Berlin wall
During the 1980s, communism of the…
