The Berlin wall was erected by the East Berlin government, which was a part of the Soviet Union, in the year 1961 dividing East and west Berlin. In most cases the construction of the wall is associated with division of Germany, but it is constructive to analyze the intent and motives Soviet Union had behind it.
The Context: Cold War Tensions
In continuation with the post WWII, Germany was partitioned into four zones in which the united states, USSR, France and Britain took conspicuous share. Berlin too was divided into four sectors with the Soviet zone in which it was situated being deep in the Soviets affair.
Since then issues of ideological and materialistic contradictions and enmity between the soviet union and the west could be seen. The Cold War intensified and Berlin became one of the strategic centers of confrontation between communism and capitalist systems.
Reasons for Constructing the Berlin Wall
1. Political Motives
The major reason behind the construction of Berlin Wall was the rulers of East Germany which was under Soviet control who wanted to stop the citizens from moving into West Germany which was under the western powers control. To achieve all these, the Soviets wanted to stop the brain drain and protect their communism by erecting barriers to prevent skilled workers, intellects and professionals from emigrating.
2. Ideological Warfare
Another function was to represent the division between the Soviet bloc and the Western world also known as the iron curtain. In this way, the Soviet Union sought to strengthen the divide in order to prop up socialism and prevent the contamination with the Western democracy.
3. Economic Considerations
Emigration or rather the flow of a large number of people from East to West Germany was to have serious socio-economic implications for the Soviet Union. They did not want their ‘brain stock’ to disappears and worried the drain-off effects on their economy and on the sustainable development of the socialist economy.
Public Perception and Impact
The Berlin Wall construction brought about different responses from the public. What was viewed as the Soviet Union’s attempt to preserve the socialist state from the capitalist influence was quite the opposite of what the West saw in it.
In East Germany, the government and the Soviet Union persuaded the people that the wall was the “Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart” to protect against the invasion of the West. However, that changed for the worse for East Germans because it only served to ensnare them, and through numerous acts of desperation, some of those would die in the process.
End of the Berlin Wall
In the historical writings, the attitude toward the Berlin Wall started changing towards the later part of 1980s when the Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev started adopting the policy of Glasnost. The population of the Eastern Bloc countries were getting the pressure to change the political systems and consequently there were demands for freedom.
It is important to remember that the legal process began on July 13, 1989, and in the following months many East Germans fled to the West Different events led to this moment, but on November 9th, 1989, refugees could cross the wall at any point. This symbolic act also signified the end of the creation of the wall and therefore effective the beginning of the dismantling of the soviet era presence in Eastern Europe.
Conclusion
The Berlin wall was a physical barrier constructed as an effort to prevent the movement of people, information and goods between the East and the West endorsed by Soviet Union. Thus, using political, ideological, and economical pretexts, the Soviet Union built the dam, which in return led emigration and famine, becoming a symbol of oppressive.
The event in question of the dismantling of the Berlin Wall proves unity equates to strength plus freedom and how potent the control by Soviet Union was. Currently, the remnants of the Berlin Wall provide people with examples of the division of Europe and the need to bring nations together.
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