Essay On The Berlin Wall
From 1961 to 1989, the Berlin wall was an obstruction built so as to divide Berlin and cut off western Berlin from Eastern Berlin. It continued like this for almost 30 years until it opened in 1989 and started to be demolished in 1990. The wall included guard towers which were placed along large concrete walls, which surrounded a large area (which would later be known as the ‘death strip’). This area contained many other defences to prevent any passing through. The wall served a purpose to stop the mass emigration that plagued East Germany and the communist eastern bloc after the Second World War.
At the end of the Second World War, Germany was divided into four allied occupation zones; Berlin was also divided into occupation sectors despite …show more content…
East Germans immediately saw West Germany as a form of freedom from the communism they were currently experiencing. The most popular passage to west Germany was through west Berlin, and from 1946-61 nearly 2.5 million people fled east Germany this way, and at its peak there was around 2,000 eastern Germans crossing this way every day. The huge numbers of people emigrating were having a substantial effect on Eastern Germanys economy as many of those laving were skilled labourers or very high up intellectuals. Nikita Khrushchev saw the devastating effects and was desperate to save eastern Germany and so proposed that it cut off all access between east and West Berlin. It was during a night in the middle of August, that barbed wire began to be placed down; almost 30 mils was forced through the centre of Berlin; this immediately forbad any east Germans passing through to the west, checkpoints were also erected that allowed western Berliners to pass into the east, however the number of these checkpoints immediately dropped, reducing the numbers of westerners passing. All of this was a sudden shock to the West, and the retaliated by threatening to trade embargo against East Germany. The soviets then responded by stating that the embargo would be met with another blockade within West
At the end of the Second World War, Germany was divided into four allied occupation zones; Berlin was also divided into occupation sectors despite …show more content…
East Germans immediately saw West Germany as a form of freedom from the communism they were currently experiencing. The most popular passage to west Germany was through west Berlin, and from 1946-61 nearly 2.5 million people fled east Germany this way, and at its peak there was around 2,000 eastern Germans crossing this way every day. The huge numbers of people emigrating were having a substantial effect on Eastern Germanys economy as many of those laving were skilled labourers or very high up intellectuals. Nikita Khrushchev saw the devastating effects and was desperate to save eastern Germany and so proposed that it cut off all access between east and West Berlin. It was during a night in the middle of August, that barbed wire began to be placed down; almost 30 mils was forced through the centre of Berlin; this immediately forbad any east Germans passing through to the west, checkpoints were also erected that allowed western Berliners to pass into the east, however the number of these checkpoints immediately dropped, reducing the numbers of westerners passing. All of this was a sudden shock to the West, and the retaliated by threatening to trade embargo against East Germany. The soviets then responded by stating that the embargo would be met with another blockade within West