The Berlin Wall is one of the most famous monuments of the Cold War, embodying the essence of the confrontation between the communist Soviet Union and the NATO countries. The fall of the Berlin Wall symbolized the beginning of great change.
Reasons for the construction of the wall
The Cold War, which began after the end of the bloodiest in the history of World War II, was a long conflict between the USSR on the one hand and Europe and the United States on the other. Western politicians viewed the communist system as the most dangerous of possible adversaries, and the presence of nuclear weapons on both sides only increased tensions.
After the end of World War II, the winners divided the territory of Germany among themselves. The Soviet Union inherited five provinces, of which the German Democratic Republic was formed in 1949. The capital of the new state was East Berlin, which, according to the terms of the Yalta Treaty, also fell into the zone of influence of the USSR. The conflict between East and West, as well as the uncontrolled migration of residents to West Berlin, led to the fact that in 1961 the Warsaw Pact countries (the socialist alternative to NATO) came to a decision on the need to build a concrete structure separating the western and eastern parts of the city.
Border in the center of Berlin
As soon as possible after the decision to close the border was made, the wall construction project was carried out. The total length of the Berlin Wall was over 150 kilometers, although Berlin itself was only about 40 kilometers. To protect the border, in addition to the three-meter wall itself, wire fences, electric current, earthen ditches, anti-tank fortifications, watchtowers and even control strips were used. All these security measures were used only from the eastern side of the wall - in West Berlin, any resident of the city could approach it.
The ransom of the East Germans cost the FRG government a total of almost three billion US dollars.
The wall not only divided the city into two parts, and rather absurdly (the metro stations were closed, the houses had to brick up the windows facing the western side), but also became a symbol of the confrontation between NATO and the Warsaw Pact countries. Until the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1990, there were many illegal border crossings, including with the help of tunnels, a bulldozer, a hang glider and a hot air balloon. In total, more than five thousand successful escapes were made from the GDR to the FRG. In addition, about two hundred and fifty thousand people were released for money.
According to the official point of view of the GDR, over the years of the wall's existence, 125 people were killed while trying to cross the border.
In 1989, the beginning of perestroika was announced in the USSR, which prompted Hungary, neighboring with the GDR, to open the border with Austria. The existence of the Berlin Wall became meaningless, since everyone who wanted to get to the West could do it through Hungary. After some time, the government of the GDR, under pressure from the public, was forced to give its citizens free access abroad, and in 1990 the already useless Berlin Wall was torn down. However, several of its fragments remained as a memorial complex.
