The Fall of the Berlin Wall - Essay Example

The fallen of the Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall is one of the most infamous barriers in history, and played a large part in shaping both European and U.S. history in its establishment and eventual fall. Initially constructed to separate East Berlin from West Berlin and the rest of Europe, the barrier was ostensibily erected to ‘protect’ the citizens of East Berlin from the ‘fascist’ elements of the West, which the German Democratic Republic felt had not been fully de-Nazified after the Second World War. In reality, it served as a barrier to prevent mass migration from the socialist Easter Bloc from the rest of Western Europe during the Cold War. As such an important symbol of restricted freedoms and of the difference in political systems on both side, the fall of the Berlin Wall was met with joy from Berlin citizens on both side, and the event was important politically and socially. The fall of the Berlin Wall is often used as a marker for the beginning of the end of the Cold War, and thus it is not just important for those citizens of Berlin but for the history of the U.S. The purpose of this essay is to explore the history and politics of the Berlin Wall and the role that President Reagan and the U.S. government played in the events, showing that the fall of the Berlin Wall is one of the most important moments in world history. The Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall, or the "Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart" as it was officially titled by the GDR government, officially started being built in August 19611. Separating the socialist East from the economically-growing West, the wall symbolized the Iron Curtain and the restriction of movement from the Eastern Bloc and the Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe. The socialist East Germany, alongside much of Eastern Europe, had many services nationalized and a stagnant economic growth, which caused many people in these areas to migrate to Western Europe2. Those in charge of the Eastern Bloc felt that this migration would lead to a so-called “brain drain”, particularly as many of the migrants were young and well-educated3. The East also felt that the West, particularly West Germany, was still under fascist influences4, and these two fears lead to the feeling that such migration should be stopped and the erection of the Inner German Border, separating the two areas of Germany but allowing traffic to flow freely between the two areas of Berlin, despite the city being occupied by separate powers5. Due to Berlin’s more open nature, there were fears that the emigration to the West would continue. Nikita Khrushchev, the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union at the time, is implicated in making the suggestion that the Berlin Wall be erected and President John F. Kennedy is thought to have implied that no resistance would be made against the erection of such a border6. Shortly following this, a deal was made to finalize the plans, and the border was closed by military officials and barbed wire in the early days of August 1961, with the concrete elements of the wall shortly following. From this date until November 1989, it was nearly impossible to cross between the two areas of Berlin. The End of the Wall and the War The Cold War had a huge part to play in the construction and fall of the Berlin Wall. The Cold War was a state of political tension between the West (headed by the U.S.) and the East (headed by the Soviet Union) which never showed direct military action but was symbolized by the constant threat of nuclear war7. Ronald Reagan was one of the most influential figures of the Cold War and its end, signing an agreement to ban intermediate-range nuclear weapons with the then-Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev8. Reagan also challenged Gorbachev to tear down the wall, symbolizing as it did the oppressive regime of the Soviet Union and everything that the President stood against. At the same time, much of the Soviet economies were stagnant and revolutions in Poland and the Baltic States were well underway, signally discontent with the regimes and Soviet Oppression in many areas9. This loss of power and heightened disillusionment spread through the Eastern Bloc like a wave, and Berlin was not to be left unaffected. In September 1989, there was a so-called Peaceful Revolution in which the Germans of both East and West Berlin showed their hatred for the Wall and all that it symbolized10. Many of those wanting to cross between East and West Germany were beginning to find routes through many areas of Eastern Europe, such as Hungary and Czechoslovakia, that were newly freed from Soviet Regimes11, meaning that the Wall was becoming increasingly useless. At the prompting of Ronald Reagan, and the combination of events leading up to the fall, the 9th November saw the checkpoints at the wall opened12. This new freedom led many Germans on both sides to celebrate and climb the wall, with many taking pieces from the wall as souvenirs, and eventual government action tearing down the majority of the wall. Conclusion Whilst the story of the Berlin Wall and its destruction is complex, it is clear that the U.S., particularly Ronald Reagan, had a huge impact in the destruction of the Wall and the eventual end of the Cold War. Relations between Gorbachev and Reagan were particularly important in opening discussion between the two sides and allowing the thought of uniting East and West Germany to come to the fore. Both inspired by and contributing to the Soviet Union’s destruction, it is clear that the Berlin Wall is an important symbol of 20th century history. Bibliography Burgan, Michael. 2007. The Berlin Wall: Barrier to Freedom. Compass Point Books. Hiscock, J., and M. Pearson. 1999. ‘Looking Inwards, Looking Outwards: Dismantling the “Berlin Wall” Between Health and Social Services?’ Social Policy & Administration 33 (2): 150–163. Major, Patrick. 2009. Behind the Berlin Wall: East Germany and the Frontiers of Power. Oxford University Press. Whitfield, Stephen J. 1996. The Culture of the Cold War. JHU Press. Read More