Why Do People Try To Escape Into West Berlin Wall

The large number of people trying to escape into West Berlin created societal conflicts for both East and West Berlin. Many people who lived in East Berlin would try to escape into West Berlin for many reasons. Some wanted better jobs, better food, more material goods, and some just missed their families, causing them to want to escape into the West. From 1945-1959, an average of 700 people everyday made it to freedom from the East before they secured the Berlin Wall. During 1959, the 700 people dropped to 350 daily (We). 80 people died altogether trying to escape into the West and out of the Soviet lifestyle. If individuals were caught trying to escape, they would be put in jail for up to four years. The East Germans had to compromise their freedom in going to the west otherwise it resulted in conflict by them going to jail. Because the population was going down tremendously in East Berlin from those fleeing to the West Side, …show more content…
Even after reunification, there is still a difference in income and unemployment rates between East and West Germany (Washington). The Berlin Wall fell after too many refugees were fleeing into Checklszvokia, making them angry at the GDR, forcing them to tear it down. After the wall fell, East German factories and companies had to compete with the stronger and more efficient western companies because the Soviets used to control all the businesses in East Germany. Because of this, many Eastern companies went bankrupt and the income levels went down tremendously. The fall of the Berlin Wall was an important factor to the end of the Cold War. If the Soviet Union had not broken up and the Cold War had not ended, the Berlin Wall would likely still be in place (Trayner). The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and the Cold War came to an end (History.com staff; Soviet). This led to the final absorption of Germany into Europe. After Germany’s absorption into Europe, the Cold War officially