While reading the assigned reading for this week, I noticed a section in Chapter 5 called, “West Berlin: Today Vietnam, Tomorrow Us.” This section was quite intriguing to me because it mentions the facts of the Berlin Wall. The chapter doesn’t however go into great detail about the wall or why it was even constructed. It does mention that West Berlin was the center of the Cold War where the United States and the Soviet Union had constructed their battleground. It goes on to talk about the Free University. This university is a research university located in Berlin and one of the most prominent universities in Germany. It is internationally known for its research in the humanities and social sciences, as well as in the field of natural and life sciences. Free University encouraged experimental courses and creative
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The Berlin Wall was officially referred to as the "Anti-Fascist Protective Wall" (German:Antifaschistischer Schutzwall) by GDR authorities, implying that the NATO countries and West Germany in particular were "fascists" by GDR propaganda. History.com stated that on the night of August 12-13, 1961, East German soldiers laid down more than 30 miles of barbed wire barrier through the heart of Berlin. East Berlin citizens were forbidden to pass into West Berlin, and the number of checkpoints in which Westerners could cross the border was drastically reduced. On August 15, they began replacing barbed wire with concrete. The wall, East German authorities declared, would protect their citizens from the pernicious influence of decadent capitalist culture. During the rest of 1961, the grim and unsightly Berlin Wall continued to grow in size and scope, eventually consisting of a series of concrete walls up to 15 feet high. These walls were topped with barbed wire and guarded with watchtowers, machine gun emplacements, and
The Berlin Wall was officially referred to as the "Anti-Fascist Protective Wall" (German:Antifaschistischer Schutzwall) by GDR authorities, implying that the NATO countries and West Germany in particular were "fascists" by GDR propaganda. History.com stated that on the night of August 12-13, 1961, East German soldiers laid down more than 30 miles of barbed wire barrier through the heart of Berlin. East Berlin citizens were forbidden to pass into West Berlin, and the number of checkpoints in which Westerners could cross the border was drastically reduced. On August 15, they began replacing barbed wire with concrete. The wall, East German authorities declared, would protect their citizens from the pernicious influence of decadent capitalist culture. During the rest of 1961, the grim and unsightly Berlin Wall continued to grow in size and scope, eventually consisting of a series of concrete walls up to 15 feet high. These walls were topped with barbed wire and guarded with watchtowers, machine gun emplacements, and