The Fall Of The Berlin Wall History Essay Example

The Fall of the Berlin Wall was one of the most significant moments in the 20th century. This event is commonly referred to as the “Symbol of the Cold War” because it initiated the fall of Communism in Germany. In the aftermath of World War II, Germany was split into two countries as administered by the Allied Powers. West Germany was occupied by the Western Allies and East Germany was controlled by the Soviet Union. The Germans living in the east greatly suffered and hoped to flee to the west to escape the Soviet Union’s Communist ruling. The Prime Minister of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, planned to destroy Germany, therefore, forcing the Germans to join the Soviet Union. Some people look at this moment in history as a positive thing. They look at how Germany would be way more successful if they were to depend on the Soveit Union. Eastern Germany wanted to stop all fascists from entering their portion of the country, which caused the Soviet Union’s formation of the Berlin Wall in 1961. The difference between East and West Germany during the Cold War was that West Germany had a better economy, more freedom, and more resources compared to East Germany due to being capitalist and communist.

In 1945, as the end of World War approached, Germany became divided between the Allied powers. The Allies' goal aimed to help Germany rise back to power as a powerful country, which the Soviet Union strongly disagreed with. East Germany remained occupied by the Soviet Union while West Germany took control of the west. In order to separate East and West Germany, the Soviet Union built the Berlin Wall. In addition to simply dividing the two sides of the country, the wall stopped the fascists from entering. Further, it caused the German economy to crash, making Germany depend on the Soviets. The wall was necessary for the Soviet Union’s plan to take over Germany. The Soviets contained the citizens in the country to suffer while people in West Germany were successful and prospering in the capitalist economy. The people of East Germany suffered because Stalin was in power. Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union, which was a communist during this time. The Berlin wall was created on August 13, 1961, and fell on November 9, 1989. The early stages of the Berlin Wall were built out of barbed wire and cinder blocks. As time passed, the wall had electric fences that spanned 28 miles through the city of Berlin and extended 75 miles around West Berlin. The Berlin Wall separated the people of Germany, the people of East Germany suffered. Stalin caused the suffrage of the people. Stalin planned to stop ruining Germany’s economy so it would never be able to rise back to power.  This moment in history was capitalist against communist.  

The economic differences between East Germany and West Germany during the Berlin Wall were very stark. West Germany remained strong while East Germany greatly suffered. For example, the economy and social system in East Germany were broken. The situation in East Germany was commonly referred to as being “dismal.” For instance, “the food and resources were scarce; there was little political freedom and even less economic development. Millions of East Germans left their homes to move to the West, a drain of labor that threatened East Germany with economic collapse” (John Gaps). Joseph Stalin wanted to destroy the economy by damaging its resources, freedom, and development. Stalin looked to kill the economy to force Germany to join the Soviet Union. If the economy failed, they had nowhere to go unless they joined the Soviets and relied on them. Stalin made the resources “scarce” by blocking trade routes. Furthermore, in West Germany, the economy was booming. With the help and support of its occupying powers, West Germany set up a capitalist society. The economy experienced an extremely rapid growth, which became known as the "economic miracle." With hard work, “individuals living in West Germany were able to live well, buy gadgets and appliances, and travel as they wished” (Thought Co). The economy multiplied to a level the people had never seen before. West Germany's economy allowed everyone to have the same opportunity as everyone else to make money. The boom in the economy made even more people determined to move to West Germany. In West Germany, freedom was given to everyone, and its people had an equal chance of making money and becoming successful.

West German citizens had more freedom and rights than East German citizens. The people of the East were treated so poorly because of Stalin. The citizens did whatever they could to get to West Germany for a better life. After time passed, the people saw what was occurring in East Germany and how Stalin attempted to destroy their economy. The people of East Germany saw that they needed to flee the country in any way possible. They escaped by “[digging] tunnels from the basements of buildings in East Berlin, under the Berlin Wall, and into West Berlin. Another group saved scraps of cloth and built a hot air balloon and flew over the Wall” (Thought Co). The East Germans had little to lose because they were in such a bad situation. With no rights, horrible conditions, and a failed economy, their only sensible plan was to get to West Germany by any means. Furthermore, after the people fled to West Germany, many saw a better life. During the Berlin Wall, approximately “160,000 refugees had escaped from the German Democratic Republic, bringing the total to over three million who had sought a better life and more freedom in West Germany” (International Encyclopedia of Social Studies). Over a hundred thousand East German citizens who successfully fled to West Germany created a better life for themselves. The problems that arose in East Germany caused thousands of citizens to migrate to Western Germany in hopes of discovering a better life. 

One way that Stalin ruined the East German economy was by shutting down trade routes. By closing trade with other countries, food and resources became scarce. Food prices dramatically increased and caused a food shortage. For instance, the cost of coffee skyrocketed. The Soviet government did not trade with other countries, so coffee was hard to obtain. The lack of trade from the Soviet Union made the price of coffee increase for the East Germans. Compared to East Germany, West Germany did not have any problems with food and resources. During the 1950s, “West Germany became increasingly wealthy, while East Germany under Soviet control languished behind its neighbor. Goods that were commonplace in West Berlin were considered luxuries in East Germany” (Gale). The Soviet Union economy was broken while West Germany was thriving. Food remained so scarce in East Germany that the Allies’ military had to deliver food to the East German citizens by planes. This situation is known as the Berlin Airlift. The Berlin Airlift shows how the Soviet Union treated the people during the Cold War while the Allies' powers tried to help in every way possible. Both countries were different because of the rulers of the government. However, the Soviets planned to socially and economically destroy East Germany so they would never rise back to power. 

The unification of Germany after World War II changed life in the 20th century. Western Allies took over West Germany and made it a prospering country, while the Soviets took over East Germany and planned to ruin it. Economic and social variations were the main differences between the two countries. East Germany had the worst economy possible, while West Germany had one of the best. When the Soviets shut down trade with other countries, their economy worsened after prices of food and resources went up. Freedom was given out to citizens of West Germany while East Germany remained occupied. The Fall of the Berlin Wall is labeled one of the most significant events because it represented the end of Soviet Communism and the Proofpoint of Western capitalism.