O Berlin Wall it was the construction of a concrete barrier and a border control system that divided the German city of Berlin into two areas, one under German administration. Federal Republic of Germany (RFA), in the sphere of influence of Western capitalism, and another under the German Democratic Republic (GDR), in the sphere of influence of the USSR. The Berlin Wall has become the main symbol of the Cold War.
The Berlin Wall and its border control system extended for about 155 km, dividing the city by its entire center. Its aim was to prevent the escapes of German citizens from the eastern, GDR-controlled (or Oriental Germany), to the West side, controlled by the RFA (or ocidental Germany).
This situation was due to the fact that the city of Berlin and the entire German territory had been divided into influence zones at the end of World War II by the main winning allied countries: England, USA, France and USSR.
However, the first three countries carried out a monetary and administrative standardization of the areas under their influence in the context of
Marshall Plan, the economic plan launched by the US to rebuild Western Europe destroyed in World War II starting in 1947. This measure violated the conditions imposed by the Yalta and Postdam peace treaties, which resulted in the so-called Berlin blockade, which took place between 1947 and 1949, and the division of Germany into the two new countries.The results of the Marshall Plan in the social and economic life of the FRG were quick, generating a quick economic growth and the population's access to a level of material consumption greater than that verified on the side Eastern. This situation has led a large portion of the East Berlin region to flee to the west, whose numbers are in excess of two million.
To prevent escape, the GDR government started construction of the Berlin Wall in August 13, 1961, initially with barbed wire fences, but soon after construction workers began to erect the immense barrier of bricks and concrete. The beginning of the construction of the Wall took place in front of the Brandenburg Gate, one of the main historical symbols of the city.
One of the first escapes was carried out by the East German officer, HansConrad Schumann, two days after the start of the works. Other escapes were attempted and some carried out. The Bernauer Straße (Bernauer Street) has become a symbol of the division of Berlin. Buildings located there were over the border. The windows of these places became places of escape to the western side in the early days. Entire families managed to flee, but not all they wanted to. The facades of the buildings were sealed and the windows closed weeks after the beginning of the construction of the wall. Neighbors, friends and families were separated.
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West Berliners waving to their friends and family across the Berlin Wall at Bernauer Straße **
In the escape attempts, several people were killed. The area located between the wall and the western checkpoints became known as the “death zone” as a result of the end of these people's lives.
As the Berlin Wall was the main symbol of the division of the world between state capitalism Soviet and Western capitalism, its fall also marked the end of the polarization of the world between the US and USSR The economic and social difficulties experienced in countries under Soviet influence led to governments to adopt the economic, social and political mechanisms characteristic of capitalism western.
In November 9, 1989, the population of Berlin headed to the front of the wall to celebrate the permission to cross between the two sides of the city. Much of the world followed the event on TV and the destruction of part of the construction that represented the division of the world into two spheres of influence for over forty years.
Despite the sledgehammers and pickaxes that were filmed breaking the wall, he didn't actually fall. It was shredded, preserving its graffiti, and sold at auctions or as souvenirs, a practice that is still observed in the 2010s in Berlin regions where the wall was erected.
* Image Credit: CIA.
** Image Credit: CIA.
By Me. Tales Pinto
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PINTO, Tales dos Santos. "What is the Berlin Wall?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/o-que-e/historia/o-que-e-muro-berlim.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
