The Fall of the Berlin Wall

Introduction

The Berlin Wall was a physical division that existed between East and West Berlin from 1961 until 1989. With the end of World War II in 1945 Berlin was occupied by the Soviets, the territory was declared a Republic in East Germany in 1949. Shortly after that, the city of Berlin was divided between East and West. The physical division of the city was consummated in August 1961 with the construction of a common wall of separation, motivated by the fact that the regime of the Federal Republic of Germany could not otherwise stop the rising tide of fugitives who wanted to move to other side of Berlin. This paper discusses the historical background of the Berlin wall, its fall and the consequences of the fall of the Berlin wall.

Discussion

Curry, in his book, “Before the Wall,” explains the situation in Germany before the fall. In East Germany, more than in almost any other country in the communist bloc, the events that became synonymous with the end of communism were the fruit of a protest movement that began years before with no hope of toppling the regime. There was no great symbolism or strategy. The movement's greatest ambition was to force East Germany—which became one of the communist bloc's most hardcore regimes after its founding in the Soviet-occupied zone of Germany in 1949—to live up to its own ideals(Curry, 35). No one imagined bringing down the Communist Party, much less reunifying Germany.

In 1945, after World War II, the victors of Germany (United States, the Soviet Union, and England) occupied and divided, to control the German territory. This division was a direct consequence of armed conflict between the powerful powers of this world: none of the victors wanted the old fascist regime gain power again. According to Buckley, the United States and the Soviet Union (now Russia) agreed to occupy the country and then find a peaceful regime and freedom for the Germans. Very soon it became clear that the victorious powers could not agree on a common occupation policy. In short, behind this process was the ideological rivalry of two opposing social systems and the expansionist policy of the Soviet government (Buckley, 46).

Berlin, the capital, was also divided, according to Bukley. From 1961 to 1989 Germany was separated. The difficult part of this creation of boundaries in the same country was that many people in a short period had to be separated from their families (who could live just on the other side of town) due to the construction the wall. The social systems in place were all separated not only German citizens on its territory, but also beliefs, feelings and ways of life, all this without consulting (Buckley, 78). The resolutions were taken to Germany within the conflict between the stronger powers, the United States and the Soviet Union, which vied for power in the world through an arms race that worried about the constant threat of nuclear war.

In his book, “Berlin Pivot of German ...