THE BERLIN WALL

Mehmet Unsal B.Comm MBA

Ryerson University

Toronto, Canada

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The Berlin Wall successfully carried its mission of separating Germans and stood as an

ugly symbol of the Cold War for almost 3 decades. The Wall was the representation of

the division of Germany but furthermore it was standing to show the world how different

the ideologies of the Western World and the Communist regime. It divided families and

prevented East Germans’ access to the freedom. As soon as it was erected, it became an

inhumane symbol of the cold war.1 Berlin wall was built by the Communist regime in the

East Germany to prevent escapes and close the brain drain from east to west. However

the communist regime defined the wall as a barrier to fascist and imperialist ideology of

the capitalist world.2

May 7, 1945 was day of the official surrender of Germany.3 However, Victorious

countries already decided to divide Germany couple months before the surrender at the

Yalta conference in February 1945. U.S., Britain and Soviet Russia decided to divide the

Germany and Berlin into zones and later U.S. and Britain gave part of their zones to

France.4 After they signed the surrender of Germany, allied powers took the control of

Germany and established their zones. However, West Berlin was in the heart of the

Communist part and even though western allies had a right to access, they had to pass

through Soviet’s part.5 When the Communist governments established in East Europe by

Soviet Russia’s ideological and military help, well educated people and intellectuals who

felt the threat escapes to the west immediately. Soviets answered to that problem by

1 Painter, David S. The Cold War: an International History. London: Routledge, 1999.,Print. P 532 Schulte-Peevers, Andrea. Lonely Planet Berlin Encounter. 2010-02, 2010., Print. P 1603 Lemons, Everette O. Third Reich: a Revolution of Ideological Inhumanity;. Morrisville: Lulu Com, 2006.,Print. P 5414 Duiker, William J., and Jackson J. Spielvogel. World History. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2007. Print. P 712,55 Thomaneck, Jurgen K. A., and William John Niven. Dividing and Uniting Germany. London: Routledge, 2001. Print.P12

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closing borders and isolating the eastern block from the west. Winston Churchill defined

that ideology as an Iron Curtain between east and west.6

Western allies were planning to establish unified zone to create free country as

West Germany. However their plan was not favoured by Stalin since he was planning to

control all of Germany and push the allies out of the country. Soviet’s plan was

preventing the access of allied forces to the Berlin. And they closed all accesses to the

city. Blockade started on June 24 1948.7 Berlin was an island in the communist part of

the Germany and a potential danger to the despotic Communist regime therefore Soviet

Russia tried to get rid of this danger and invade both parts of Germany to create

Communist country in this part of Europe. That was the main idea of Berlin blockade,

however because of the allies’ determination; Stalin had to end this blockade with

disappointment. Berlin was an important city for western allies; even though it was very

difficult to protect it, Western allies and especially the U.S. had to protect this city

because of its psychological effects in the non-communist world. If they give up the

Berlin they feared that it could have a domino effect and they will not be able to protect

other countries from the communist threat.8 Altough, some politicians and army

authorities advised President Truman to use military forces against this blockade he could

not take this risk since it might lead to another World War.9. They found the solution as

to provide supplies by Airlift. British, U.S., and French planes carried tens of thousand

tones of food, medical supplies and other necessary items to Berlin. They successfully

6 Gradus, Y.and Harvey Lithwick. Frontiers in Regional Development. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 1996. Print. P447 Betts, Richard K. Nuclear Blackmail and Nuclear Balance. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 1987. Print.8 Harrell, David Edwin. Unto a Good Land: a History of the American People. Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans, 2005. Print. P 10019 Ojserkis, Raymond P. Beginnings of the Cold War Arms Race: the Truman Administration and the U.S. Arms Build-up. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2003. Print. P 22

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assisted Berliners and broke the embargo. When Stalin saw the results of the year long

blockade he decided not to continue that embargo since western allies continued to

supply Berliners by airlift as long as it was possible.10 In May 1949, Western allies

decided to unify their zones. This unification in the west created West Germany. Same

year in October, in the east part of the Germany, Soviet Russia established East Germany

under its communist regime.11 Berlin became a communist East Germany’s capital but

western allies continued to control their zone in Berlin as part of their Democratic West

Germany. Soviet Russia continued to export its communist regime to East Germany.

Communist Government took control of the commercial enterprises and planned state

economy replaced the market economy in East Germany. Political system changed

accordingly and they closed all the democratic political parties and communist party

started to run the country with the ideological and military help of Soviet Russia. People

lost their freedom under the Despotic Communist regime of SED (Socialist Unity Party

of Germany).12

While East Germany was poor and struggling with the lack of freedom, West Germany

developed economically and politically. East Germans wanted to move to the west to

enjoy economical and political freedom. Under the Walter Ulbricht’s communist regime

people were suffering and thousands of them moved to the West Germany. In 1952

communist government wanted to control this immigration and decided to close down the

borders between east and west.13 Berlin became a gate to the west and thousand of people

from East Germany had to come to Berlin to cross the border. After Stalin died in 1953

10 Burgan, Michael. The Berlin Wall: Barrier to Freedom. Minneapolis, Minn: Compass Point, 2008.Print. P4211 Thackeray, Frank W. Events That Changed Germany. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 2004. Print. P 18712Grieder, Peter. The East German Leadership, 1946-73: Conflict and Crisis. Manchester, UK: Manchester UP, 1999. Print.P 113Germany and Switzerland. Tarryton, N.Y.: Marshall Cavendish, 2010. Print. P 357

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thousand of people thought that the life will be even harder under the new communist

leader so immigration increased. In that year, approximately 300,000 people immigrated

to West Germany.14 In 1953 Nikita Khrushchev became a leader of the communist party

in Soviet Russia.15. East Germany and communist regime were loosing their citizens and

most of them were well educated productive workers. This Brain drain further weakened

the East Germany’s economy and communist regime had to make decisions to prevent

this immigration. Between 1949 and 1961 2.5 millions of East Germans escaped to the

West Germany.16

In the early years of the East Germany, communist government did not attempt to

close borders or prevent immigration from the east. However increasing numbers,

especially in the 1950’s, alarmed communist regime because most of the immigrants

were well educated and professionals. This increased immigration became a serious

problem for the East Germany since it started to undermine communist regime.17 Soviet

Russia and its puppet government in East Germany tried to prevent those escapes from

east but they were unsuccessful. Brain drain was a problem for east’s economy and they

made a decision that leaving East Germany without permission became a crime.

Communist regime tried everything to stop this immigration. Finally in 1961, East

German leader Walter Ulbricht and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev made a decision to

14 Burgan, Michael. The Berlin Wall: Barrier to Freedom. Minneapolis, Minn. Compass Point, 2008.Print. P3515 Page, Melvin E., and Penny M. Sonnenburg. Colonialism: an International, Social, Cultural, and Political Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2003. Print. P 31516 Tipton, Frank B. A History of Modern Germany since 1815. Berkeley: University of California, 2003. Print. P 51017 Loescher, Gil. Beyond Charity: International Cooperation and the Global Refugee Crisis. New York: Oxford UP, 1996. Print. P 60

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build a wall between east and West Germany to prevent immigration which became a

symbol of cold war and division in Europe for 28 years.18

West Germany’s economic success and developments in the economic and political

life attracted East German citizens. This immigration undermined communist system in

East Berlin since they were loosing well educated professionals. Event though communist

regime tried to control escapes they could not stop the brain drain from east to the west.

While the East under the Communist regime was struggling with lack of freedom and

food shortages and increasing pressure of the Soviet Russia, the West was enjoying the

prosperous economy in the country.19 West became a member of newly established

European economic corporation in 1949. It followed by membership of European Coal

and Steel Community in 1951 and also it approved that West Germany got full

membership of Council of Europe. All of these events improved West Germany’s

economic infrastructure and it became one of the Europe’s economically developed and

democratic countries.20 As a result of this economical development in the west and

increased pressure in the east also stimulated the escapes from east to west. On August

13, 1961 East German and soviet soldiers and construction workers closed the border,

with the Berlin wall, between east and west.21

On August 13, 1961 East German government started to close all the border gates and

railway stations. They turned the street lights off so no one can see what was happening.

Even the leaders of the western countries did not understand the meaning of this

18 Gray, Colin S. War, Peace and International Relations: an Introduction to Strategic History. London: Routledge, 2007. Print.P 19419 Sinn, Hans-Werner. Can Germany Be Saved?: the Malaise of the World's First Welfare State. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT, 2007. Print. P 120 Fulbrook, Mary. History of Germany, 1918-2000: the Divided Nation. Oxford, England: Blackwell, 2002. Print. P 14621 Solsten, Eric. Germany. DIANE Publishing, 1999. Print.P 104

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preparation until the morning.22 Soldiers guarded the construction workers and barbed

wires used first and to fasten the construction they used readymade cement blocks. The

wall isolated East Germany from the west completely. There is no country in the world

history that surrendered its own citizens and isolated them from the rest of the world.23

Even though there was a wall in the morning of August 13, some places still closed only

by barbed wire and offered last chance to the east citizens. Many East Germans even

some soldiers took that risk and they escaped to the west before the wall completely

closed the border.24

As soon as the news spread to the West Berlin people gathered among the wall and

they demanded that Western allies and especially the U.S. had to do something. Although

the wall was a violation to the Yalta conference and other treaties, between western allies

and soviet Russia, no one wanted to take a risk to use military power.25 Since both of

them, U.S. and Soviet Russia, had nuclear weapons, no one wanted to take a risk of a new

world war. Some can argue that the Berlin wall was necessary to prevent undesirable

clash between armies in this region even though it restricted the freedom of East

Berliners. Some can also argue that it brought the stability since the border was potential

threat to the peace and it could create chaos world wide. For instance, President Kennedy

indicated that”it is hell of a lot better than a war” about the construction of the Berlin

wall.26

East Germans and communist regime tried to close the border and complete the wall as

soon as possible. However it was impossible to close the border with 12- to 15-foot high

22 Rosenberg, M. An American Trapped in a Communist Paradise: an Historical Autobiography. Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.: Moose Enterprise, 2003. Print. P 19723 Edwards, John. Europe. Cheltenham: Stanley Thornes, 1998. Print. P 8624 Swanson, Diane. Tunnels! Toronto: Annick, 2003. Print. P 10925Hunter, Allen. Rethinking the Cold War. Philadelphia (Pa): Temple University, 1998. Print.P 48 26 Cowley, Robert. The Cold War. Random House Inc, 2006. Print.

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and 154.5 km long wall in one day. They used barbed wires first and as they erected the

cement wall and at the end they added the barbed wires on top of the wall. In some parts

of the wall they inserted land mines and steel traps to prevent vehicles. People had to pass

the barbed wires to reach to the wall. 27 to 91 m wide, no man land created between

walls and east side of the wall painted to white color to see people easily. Big lights used

to control the area and soldiers with machine guns patrolled along the wall. Communist

regime added more security measures and it became the real symbol of cold war and

people named this inhumane structure “wall of shame”.27 The wall isolated the West

Berlin entirely. The entire wall was 154.5 km long and 12- to 15-foot high but only 46.7

km was splitting the East Berlin from the west.28 East Germany built 116 military towers

to control the entire area. Thousands of East German soldiers were assigned the area to

control the escapes. When the wall was built, thousands of people trapped in East

Germany and the wall separated families in the both sides of the Berlin. People who were

in East Berlin to visit their families or for a business or travel they could not leave the

country and they were stuck in East Germany. Some buildings facing the west were stuck

within the wall and people used them as a gate to escape to the west. They used the

entrances, which were in the east part, and used windows and back doors, which were

facing to the west, as a gate to the free world. They used to jump from the higher floors

of the apartment buildings and firefighters open their net and help them when they

jumped. When the East Germany discovered these loopholes they closed those windows

by brick walls. The communist government of East Germany gave orders to prevent

escapes. East German soldiers had a permission to kill people if they were attempting to

27 Swanson, Diane. Tunnels! Toronto: Annick, 2003. Print. P 10928 Dunn, Joeming W., and Ben Dunn. The Fall of the Berlin Wall. Edina, Minn.: Magic Wagon, 2009. Print .P 30

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escape. First victim of this order was the Gunter Litwin. Border security shot him. Peter

Fatcher, 18 year old young man, was also killed by the East German soldiers when he

was trying to climb the wall. He was trapped within the barbed wires and no one wanted

to help him. They basically left him to die.

Some people swam in the city’s canal to escape to the west and some people used

home made balloons. Thousands of people tried every way to escape from the communist

regime, however more than hundreds of them killed by the east’s border guards. They did

not hesitate the shot even a pregnant woman who was trying to escape. Berlin wall was

relatively successful to prevent escapes from the east but it could not stop the people

from creating new ways to immigrate to west. As the security measures increased and

strengthened by the communist regime East Germans became more creative to find a way

to escape. They even dug tunnels from east to west under the Berlin wall.29

While East Germany was trying to keep its citizens in the country by force, West

German citizens and also the West Berlin continued to develop their economy and

enjoyed their freedom. West Germany successfully integrated to western economical and

political system and completed its transformation. Social life and economy was

progressing with incredible speed and even though the Berlin wall stopped immigration

of the work force from East Berlin, West German government invited cheap workforce

from other countries to continue its development.30

In East Germany, life was totally different than the west. It was possible to see

communist regime’s bold marks in every part of the city and every part of the East

29 Dunn, Joeming W., and Ben Dunn. The Fall of the Berlin Wall. Edina, Minn.: Magic Wagon, 2009. Print. P 2430 Kopnina, Helen, Christina Moutsou, and Jaro Stacul. Crossing European Boundaries: beyond Conventional Geographical Categories. New York [u.a.: Berghahn, 2006. Print. P 86

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German’s lives. As a result of loosing well educated work force, economy was

experiencing a depression. Soviet regime and its puppet government were increasing their

pressure day by day and East Germany’s secret service, Stasi, was controlling the life in

the east. There was not any kind of freedom. Not just the lack of economical power or

social life opportunities but the fear of Stasi made the life unbearable for the East

German’s.31 There were some official gates to west from the east. But three of them were

more important: Alpha, Bravo and Charlie. Checkpoint Charlie became a famous gate

when hundreds of tanks and troops from the both side stood against each other. When

the East German soldiers wanted to check the travel document of the western diplomats

they refused and it was started to big crisis between the U.S. and Soviet Russia. On

October 28, 1961 this crisis ended without any further problem. Checkpoint Charlie was

the only place to cross the border for diplomats and military officers and tourists. Others

had to use other checkpoints to cross the border. It was also the only place where Soviet

and the U.S. armies stood face to face during the cold war.32

It can be concluded that when the Communist regime built the wall people knew that

it was going to fall one day. People knew that there can not be any permanent barrier

between freedom and communist dictatorship. Communist regime and even the Western

countries were aware of the fact that Soviet planned economy was not sustainable. Iron

Curtain countries, such as Poland and Hungary, were trying to find a way to get rid of the

communist governments and Soviet system was loosing its power. However, East

German government was strongly tied to the communist regime and there were no

31 Malley-Morrison, Kathleen. State Violence and the Right to Peace: an International Survey of the Views of Ordinary People. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Praeger Security International/ABC-CLIO, 2009. Print. P 632 Harrison, Hope Millard. Driving the Soviets up the Wall: Soviet-East German Relations, 1953-1961. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton UP, 2003. Print. P 214

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attempt to improve the life in the East Germany. Even though economy was relatively

improved in East Germany that could not change the fact that communism did not make

people happy.33

When Mikhail Gorbachev became a head of the soviet Russia, in 1985, he decided not to

continue decade’s long typical communist system. He was trying to improve the life in

the communist world and he employed different strategies such as “glasnost” which gave

people more freedom to express their feelings against the state’s management. He also

tried to change the economic structure of the communist regime by employing

Perestroika. Those two fundamental changes in communist ideology prepared the fall of

the communist regime and eastern block. These fundamental changes had huge impact on

the Soviet policy. They led the Soviets to the Sinatra doctrine and Communist regime in

Russia approved the anti communist regimes in Poland and Hungary. With Sinatra

doctrine Soviet Russia simple gave up its control on the eastern block countries and it

was a signal to end of the cold war.34 Another important step was taken by Hungary.

Hungary opened its borders with Austria in 1989. That created a huge hole in the Iron

Curtain since Eastern Germans can travel freely to Hungary, as part of the eastern block

country, now they have a gate to the west through Austria. When Eastern Germans

discovered this way to escape from communism thousands of people immigrated to west

every day. East Germany’s attempt to close this loop hole did not work and thousands

managed the escape from the east.35 While anti communist demonstrations took place in

other countries such as Poland and Czechoslovakia, in East Germany intellectuals and

33 Germany and Switzerland. Tarryton, N.Y.: Marshall Cavendish, 2010. Print.P 35734 Fry, Michael G. Guide to International Relations and Diplomacy. London: Continuum, 2002. Print. P 41835 Fry, Michael G. Guide to International Relations and Diplomacy. London: Continuum, 2002. Print. P 166

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students created a “New Forum” to demand new reforms from the communist regime.

East German communist leader Erich Honecker did not want to create reforms and he

refused the demands of these peaceful demonstrations. But the communist party brought

more liberal communist leader, Egon Krenz, to the management instead of Erich

Honecker.36 Now everyone was expecting that it was the end of the cold war and freedom

will win against ruthless communist regime.

The main event to the fall of the Berlin wall was the announcement of the East

German government that allowed East Germans to travel abroad freely on November 9,

1989. The communist government finally gave right to get passport and travel documents

to the East German citizens. At first no body had any idea about the meaning of this

announcement. After the first shock thousands of East Germans gathered along the wall

and waiting for the gates to open. Since the communist management of East Germany did

not make any official announcement and they did not provide any order to the troops

along the border, no one knew what to do against the growing number of the East

Germans. The number grew with an unbelievable speed and they started to push the

border forward. Feared by the number of the people board guards had to open the borders

and finally East Germans managed to enter to West Germany freely first time in 28 years.

Next two days Germans celebrated their freedoms from the communist regime. Everyone

brought their hammers to tear down this ugly inhumane barrier between families,

between freedom and despotic communist regime. Some sources state that in first couple

of days more than 4 million East Germans crossed the border to freedom.37 It was the

36 Fulbrook, Mary. History of Germany, 1918-2000: the Divided Nation. Oxford, England: Blackwell, 2002. Print.P 26637 Grathwol, Robert P., Donita M. Moorhus, and Gareth L. Steen. Berlin and the American Military: a Cold War Chronicle. New York: New York UP, 1999. Print.P 168

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historical moment that ended the communist pressure on the people of eastern block

countries. That was the end of the communist era and end of the cold war.38 After the wall

Germany had to deal with the difficulties of the unification. Since East was intentionally

left poor and backward by the Communist government, East German currency was

worthless and there was a high unemployment.39 That was another burden for the unified

Germany however the country successfully completed its transformation and became a

powerful economy in the world.

38 Suri, Jeremi. American Foreign Relations since 1898: a Documentary Reader. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Print. P 19139Kitchen, Martin. A History of Modern Germany, 1800-2000. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2006. Print. P 391

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