The Berlin Wall On August 13, 1961 the Berlin Wall had been placed; Berlins demise was now imminent. The Berlin Wall was a major result of Cold War tensions. “From the 1940s on Germany itself had become a monster of the communist-capitalist conflict. It divided West Germany into the ‘Federal Republic of Germany’ and the smaller East Germany the ‘German Democratic Republic’.”(Taylor,1) It divided a city from the outer world and completely separated family and friends. At the end of World War II Germany as well as Berlin was divided up into four sectors. East Germany and East Berlin was made up of the Soviet portion of the regime. West Germany and West Berlin was made up of the French, British and American zones.(Rottman,39) The person
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It was a border between communism and capitalism, totalitarianism and democracy and mainly represented the border between war and peace.
A major player in the final downfall of the wall was the current president, Ronald Reagan. He gave a powerful speech at the base of the Brandenburg Gate. This speech contained a very powerful message for the General Secretary of East Germany at the time. It included, “General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”(Hay,91) Large numbers of East Germans fled to West Germany by way of Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary. The border with West Berlin remained closed to East Germans until November 1989, when mass demonstrations throughout East Germany forced the government to allow citizens to travel freely. On November 9, 1989 the border between East Germany and West Germany was opened. The East German government ended its restrictions on immigration and travel to the West by its citizens. The Wall that had torn a country apart was now being torn
It was a border between communism and capitalism, totalitarianism and democracy and mainly represented the border between war and peace.
A major player in the final downfall of the wall was the current president, Ronald Reagan. He gave a powerful speech at the base of the Brandenburg Gate. This speech contained a very powerful message for the General Secretary of East Germany at the time. It included, “General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”(Hay,91) Large numbers of East Germans fled to West Germany by way of Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary. The border with West Berlin remained closed to East Germans until November 1989, when mass demonstrations throughout East Germany forced the government to allow citizens to travel freely. On November 9, 1989 the border between East Germany and West Germany was opened. The East German government ended its restrictions on immigration and travel to the West by its citizens. The Wall that had torn a country apart was now being torn