Life In The Shadow Of Berlin Wall Essay

Life in the Shadow of the Berlin Wall The defining symbol of the Cold War was built on August 13, 1961. The world was still regaining its strength after the traumatic events of World War II. The country of Germany was divided between the four major allies the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union (Dearden). The city of Berlin, which during the time of World War II was the capital of Nazi Germany, was divided amongst all of the allies even though Berlin is located in East Germany. A democratic government that supported capitalism was set up in West Berlin, while East Berlin adopted a strict communist government. The people of East Berlin fled to West Berlin in search of a life free of the Soviet Union’s communist government, however they were shut in by a massive barrier, known as the Berlin Wall, which came to symbolize communist oppression in Berlin. During the 1950’s and the 1960’s people from East Berlin would flock to West Berlin in order to escape communist oppression. The people leaving came from all walks of life, including the intelligent people and the skilled laborers causing a large hit to …show more content…
This was only the beginning of what expanded to become a vast wall. Once the barbed wire was down, they began closing down checkpoints between East and West Berlin. The barbed wire was soon replaced by a fifteen foot concrete wall that was under constant surveillance of guards located in watch towers. “East Germans who were able to escape over this wall were met with more surprises on the other side of the wall such as floodlights, dogs, trip-wire machine guns, and soldiers who were ordered to shoot on sight” (“Berlin”). Almost two hundred people were killed while attempting this dangerous escape to freedom (Dearden). The people of Berlin were now sealed in by the wall, but they had no