How To Build The Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
During August 13, 1951, the communist government of the German Democratic Republic began to build a barbed wire and concrete barrier between Eastern and Western Berlin; this was to keep Western Fascists from entering East Germany and undermining the socialist state.
The Berlin Wall was built because of Economics and Political views. Economically, too many well-educated people moved from East Germany, and some worked in West Berlin and lived in East Berlin (it’s cheaper there), so DDR lost money on this (“Mauer”). Politically, the West side interfered with the East side, the Russian sector (“Mauer”). When World War II ended, Berlin was divided into 4 sectors. Russian was the largest sector. The Western sectors had France, Great Britain and United States in it. Finally Germany gave up, and the four allied countries signed a treaty called “the Potsdam Agreement.” This treaty was for the borders for Germany and Berlin. The city of Berlin was divided into two parts: the communist and democrat. …show more content…
There were many steps to building the Berlin Wall.
On August 13, 1961 the border between East and West in Berlin was closed off. East Germans could not send food to the other parts of the city. Guards patrolled the whole border through Berlin. For a long time simply barbed wire was used, but they soon changed that on August 15, 1961 the first Wall was built up. The Berlin Wall was built at the line of demarcation between the eastern sector of Berlin and the western sectors (“Mauer”). At 15th of August they started to build the actual Wall, and then re-build and make the wall and the border more effective
(“Mauer”).
The dividing of the Berlin Wall had many effects on people’s lives. West Germany wasn’t allowed to be giving food to East Germany any more. Food was becoming every scarce in the East. This was one major problem for business because they could go out of business because they were not getting any buyers. For the people in East Germany they needed food to live; a lot of people tried to escape over the wall but were gunned down before reaching the other side. It said there were about 125 deaths to the Berlin Wall.
Many people thought that the government had too much power. When the Wall was going up a lot of people became very scared of what might happen to them. In 1947 there was a big gap between West and East Germany ("How Germany Was Divided”). The building of the Berlin Wall in August 1961 divided families and neighborhoods in what had been the capital of Germany (“Tayler”). The Wall represented a uniquely squalid, violent, and ultimately futile, episode in the post-war world (“Tayler”). People were facing hard times in East Germany, but they knew that they have to flee from the East and go to the West.
People wanted out of East Germany because they wanted to be free. The government was communism, and in a communistic life the pay wasn’t good. For example, an average salary was 500 East German marks with very few people being paid as much as 1,000 or 1,500, but to buy a TV cost 2,000 marks, she said (“Karen”). In the article Uta Treupel tells her story about growing up, and living with her boyfriend. She goes on about how the government was ran.
Living conditions in East Germany were horrible. Shopping for things in East Germany was always more about buying whatever was available in the stores at the time than what a person actually needed because the availability of everything was so unpredictable, said Treupel (“Mauer”). This was hard for people living in the East because they couldn’t get any kind of food they really liked. As a young child, life under communism was “great, just like heaven,” said Treupel, explaining East Germany was famous for its excellent child care (“Mauer”). For the parents, on the other hand, they had it the hardest. The feeling I get was the communism was taking away their freedom even though kids had nice child care. In many ways life in East Germany, like in most Eastern countries, was drab and dreary and of course regulated by the state (“Life like in East Germany”). The essentials of life (food, housing, basic clothing, public transport) were cheap (“Life like in East Germany”). They’re for, people wanted to run away from the East and go to the West to be free from communism.
Finally the wall comes down; and East Germany is once again free from its communism leader. On Saturday morning the 11th of November, I hear on the radio that East Germany was collapsing (“Andreas”). Because this was a big change in history this Danish man and his wife and two other friends went to Germany to see the wall coming down. They brought other clothes and sleep bags, and off they went into the friend’s car. People from all over came to Germany to watch the wall come down. We met people from Belgium, France, Sweden, Spain, and England: they had all left their homes and come to see the wall be torn down (“Andreas”).
After 20 years the anniversary of the Wall come back alive. So many people came back to Germany to remember how happy they were when it was coming down, and the East finally got freedom once again. Thousands of cheering Germans re-enacted the electrifying moment the Berlin Wall came crashing down, toppling 1,000 graffiti-adorned 8-foot-tall dominoes that tumbled along the route of the now vanished Cold war icon, celebrating 20 years of freedom from separation and fear (“Berlin Marks”). The fear that the East Germanys had to over come was so great, at the time of the wall but they did it. Later on into the future they were back with their children who were so little and now understand the harsh times in East Germany. The spectacle- billed by organizers as a metaphor for the way the real wall came down 20 years ago Monday and the resulting fall of communist countries in eastern Europe- was one of several events to mark the anniversary and celebrate the profound change it had not only Germany, but Europe and the world (“20th Anniversary”).
What I learned though out this paper is the fear in a person and how much sadness brings to your life when you grow up in hard times. The Berlin Wall was one of those things where people had to face a communistic leader. They had little freedom or say in what they wanted, but their children were somehow safe. Years latter when they are all grown up they come back to this wall and realize the important of how history was made during their parent’s time. Fighting through these hard times only brought families closer together to stand up and fight for what they believe in.
During August 13, 1951, the communist government of the German Democratic Republic began to build a barbed wire and concrete barrier between Eastern and Western Berlin; this was to keep Western Fascists from entering East Germany and undermining the socialist state.
The Berlin Wall was built because of Economics and Political views. Economically, too many well-educated people moved from East Germany, and some worked in West Berlin and lived in East Berlin (it’s cheaper there), so DDR lost money on this (“Mauer”). Politically, the West side interfered with the East side, the Russian sector (“Mauer”). When World War II ended, Berlin was divided into 4 sectors. Russian was the largest sector. The Western sectors had France, Great Britain and United States in it. Finally Germany gave up, and the four allied countries signed a treaty called “the Potsdam Agreement.” This treaty was for the borders for Germany and Berlin. The city of Berlin was divided into two parts: the communist and democrat. …show more content…
There were many steps to building the Berlin Wall.
On August 13, 1961 the border between East and West in Berlin was closed off. East Germans could not send food to the other parts of the city. Guards patrolled the whole border through Berlin. For a long time simply barbed wire was used, but they soon changed that on August 15, 1961 the first Wall was built up. The Berlin Wall was built at the line of demarcation between the eastern sector of Berlin and the western sectors (“Mauer”). At 15th of August they started to build the actual Wall, and then re-build and make the wall and the border more effective
(“Mauer”).
The dividing of the Berlin Wall had many effects on people’s lives. West Germany wasn’t allowed to be giving food to East Germany any more. Food was becoming every scarce in the East. This was one major problem for business because they could go out of business because they were not getting any buyers. For the people in East Germany they needed food to live; a lot of people tried to escape over the wall but were gunned down before reaching the other side. It said there were about 125 deaths to the Berlin Wall.
Many people thought that the government had too much power. When the Wall was going up a lot of people became very scared of what might happen to them. In 1947 there was a big gap between West and East Germany ("How Germany Was Divided”). The building of the Berlin Wall in August 1961 divided families and neighborhoods in what had been the capital of Germany (“Tayler”). The Wall represented a uniquely squalid, violent, and ultimately futile, episode in the post-war world (“Tayler”). People were facing hard times in East Germany, but they knew that they have to flee from the East and go to the West.
People wanted out of East Germany because they wanted to be free. The government was communism, and in a communistic life the pay wasn’t good. For example, an average salary was 500 East German marks with very few people being paid as much as 1,000 or 1,500, but to buy a TV cost 2,000 marks, she said (“Karen”). In the article Uta Treupel tells her story about growing up, and living with her boyfriend. She goes on about how the government was ran.
Living conditions in East Germany were horrible. Shopping for things in East Germany was always more about buying whatever was available in the stores at the time than what a person actually needed because the availability of everything was so unpredictable, said Treupel (“Mauer”). This was hard for people living in the East because they couldn’t get any kind of food they really liked. As a young child, life under communism was “great, just like heaven,” said Treupel, explaining East Germany was famous for its excellent child care (“Mauer”). For the parents, on the other hand, they had it the hardest. The feeling I get was the communism was taking away their freedom even though kids had nice child care. In many ways life in East Germany, like in most Eastern countries, was drab and dreary and of course regulated by the state (“Life like in East Germany”). The essentials of life (food, housing, basic clothing, public transport) were cheap (“Life like in East Germany”). They’re for, people wanted to run away from the East and go to the West to be free from communism.
Finally the wall comes down; and East Germany is once again free from its communism leader. On Saturday morning the 11th of November, I hear on the radio that East Germany was collapsing (“Andreas”). Because this was a big change in history this Danish man and his wife and two other friends went to Germany to see the wall coming down. They brought other clothes and sleep bags, and off they went into the friend’s car. People from all over came to Germany to watch the wall come down. We met people from Belgium, France, Sweden, Spain, and England: they had all left their homes and come to see the wall be torn down (“Andreas”).
After 20 years the anniversary of the Wall come back alive. So many people came back to Germany to remember how happy they were when it was coming down, and the East finally got freedom once again. Thousands of cheering Germans re-enacted the electrifying moment the Berlin Wall came crashing down, toppling 1,000 graffiti-adorned 8-foot-tall dominoes that tumbled along the route of the now vanished Cold war icon, celebrating 20 years of freedom from separation and fear (“Berlin Marks”). The fear that the East Germanys had to over come was so great, at the time of the wall but they did it. Later on into the future they were back with their children who were so little and now understand the harsh times in East Germany. The spectacle- billed by organizers as a metaphor for the way the real wall came down 20 years ago Monday and the resulting fall of communist countries in eastern Europe- was one of several events to mark the anniversary and celebrate the profound change it had not only Germany, but Europe and the world (“20th Anniversary”).
What I learned though out this paper is the fear in a person and how much sadness brings to your life when you grow up in hard times. The Berlin Wall was one of those things where people had to face a communistic leader. They had little freedom or say in what they wanted, but their children were somehow safe. Years latter when they are all grown up they come back to this wall and realize the important of how history was made during their parent’s time. Fighting through these hard times only brought families closer together to stand up and fight for what they believe in.