A split city

Beginning on August 13, 1961, the Berlin Wall construction forever altered the history of the German city. East and West Berlin were physically split by the wall built by the German Democratic Republic (GDR) 28 years ago. One cannot underline its consequences for the city and its population.
Originally a temporary barbed wire fence, what started out as such rapidly evolved into a sophisticated system of concrete walls, guard towers, and fiercely guarded checkpoints. Stopping East German residents from escaping via West Berlin into the more rich West Germany was the principal objective of the wall.

The Building Starts

Berlin Wall construction was hurriedly and laboratively planned. The wall itself emerged in a few weeks, but the political environment and underlying emotions driving its construction had been boiling for years.
Following World War II, Germany was divided into four occupation zones run under Allied power control: the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France. Deep within Soviet-held territory, Berlin was also divided into four sectors.

Under Soviet Union control, the eastern part of Germany became more volatile as the Cold War developed and conflicts between the Soviet Union and the West increased. Many East Germans were fleeing to the West, therefore undermining the power of the GDR and generating financial difficulties for it.
Not able to stop the emigration using legal channels, the GDR decided to create a physical barrier. Under cover of secrecy, the building began with closed-off roads and workers pledged to silence. Berlin’s fate was set in a few hours; families were split apart and the city’s streets were segregated.

A Puzzle of Days and Weeks

The city was in turmoil from the early hours of August 13, 1961 as workers began erecting barbed wire fences. This was clearly a more lasting split than just a passing one soon became quite clear.
Over the ensuing days and weeks, concrete barriers took over the hastily erected barbed wire walls. Rising roughly twelve feet (3.6 meters), the wall stretched over ninety-six miles (155 km) across the city.
Fascinatingly, wall building was not always straightforward. While some areas grew quickly, others evolved over time to become increasingly complex and difficult to reach. The last form of the wall contained trenches, watch towers, and even a “death strip”—an open area covered in sand or gravel—to let border guards see escape efforts.

An architectural creation motivated by philosophy

The physicality of the wall itself was just a reflection of the deeply rooted ideological division separating the East from the West. Though the construction took a few days and weeks, the fundamental concepts and motivations behind it were far more difficult.
First suggesting the Iron Curtain to symbolize the ideological and physical division separating the communist Eastern Bloc from the capitalist Western Bloc, Winston Churchill It reflected a more general struggle between the Western countries and the Soviet Union and her supporters.
The construction of the wall was to preserve the communist rule, prevent citizens from escaping, and restrict West influence. It was a flag of dictatorship and a sobering reminder of the hardships East Germans endured.

The fall from the wall

Physically separating East from West Berlin, the Berlin Wall stood for 28 years. But as the winds of change swept over Eastern Europe in the late 1980s, the future of the wall looked questionable.
November 1989 saw peaceful protests in East Berlin demanding more movement freedom and political reform. Under mounting criticism, the East German government declared underlining travel restrictions would be removed. On November 9, 1989, in a dramatic turn of events, border guards opened the checkpoints allowing people to traverse the formerly impregnable barrier without limitation.
Symbolic of the end of the Cold War and the reunion of East and West Germany, the fall of the wall marked a turning moment in history. The edifice that had taken barely days and weeks to complete was dismantled in a few months, therefore clearing the route for a new phase of freedom and harmony.

Final Thought

The Berlin Wall’s construction was motivated by political unrest and ideological differences, therefore physically separating Berlin for almost thirty years. Originally a makeshift barrier, what began as a basic one quickly evolved into a sophisticated system of walls and defenses isolating friends and relatives and permanently altering the city and its population.
Although the wall marked a depressing chapter in Berlin’s history, its demolition in 1989 marked hope and the beginning of a better future. The Berlin Wall’s construction and later demolition serve as a poignant reminder of the power of human determination and the relentless search of freedom.