Jeannette Walls

Greg Castillo’s article examines how the United States used displays of lavish and modern consumerism, as an effective tool in the fight against communism. The thesis of the article is that the desire for consumer goods is, at least, partially responsible for causing unrest in the Eastern Bloc and exposed how different the Soviet’s communist tenets were from what humans’ desire. In the introduction of Greg’s article, he speaks of a fictitious account published in 1951 by sociologist David…

A symbol of oppression for the German people, the Berlin Wall was a barrier that separated the city of Berlin in both the physical and metaphorical form of the word. Officially designated the “Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart” by the government of the German Democratic Republic, the wall split the city of Berlin into two segments. One half was controlled by the Soviet Union and the other half of Berlin was administered by an alliance of the three Western allied powers, comprised of the United…

Frederick Taylor author of The Berlin Wall: A World Divided 1961-1989 written in 2007, brings to the front an almost forgotten event in history. He writes an in depth novel of what precipitated the events before the wall was built, and after it was torn down. Taylor gives a thorough account of the happenings, and with the use of evidence, personal account, interviews, and opinion he gives a delightful and at time somewhat controversial account of the Berlin Wall. The author gives account of the…

the past is an important step in moving forward. Darnton also examines the different meanings the Berlin Wall symbolized for East and West Berliners. Finally, the effects of reunification on the economic system were a concern among East Berliners as they did not want to let go of socialism. The three major themes in Darnton’s Berlin Journal included confrontations of the past, symbolism of the wall, and the impact of the economy. Confronting the past is a reoccurring theme in Darnton’s journal.…

The development of advanced microscopes has enabled scientists to further their investigation on the criteria for life. As a result, biologists have been confronted with a baffling question: is there a size limit on life? If so, then just how small can something be before it can no longer be considered alive? Ever since the discovery of nano-sized particles called “nanobacteria” or “nanobes”, researchers have been scrambling to unravel and analyze the mysterious functions of these purported…

building the Berlin Wall, a infamous symbolic landmark of the Cold War. Two US Presidents, those being JFK and Reagan, commented and wrote speeches to those stopped from achieving their wants and freedoms to those in East Berlin. Each speech has good points, but different reviews to the situation. Regarding this situation, President Reagan made an Address at the Brandenburg Gate in June 12, 1987,…

President Ronald Reagan gave one of his famous speeches, “Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate.” On a superficial level, Reagan uses the speech to petition to the Soviet Union for peace, nuclear and chemical arms reduction, and the demolition of the Berlin Wall. He also highlights the progress and prosperity that have arisen in the western world since the division between communism and democracy was established. Beyond the surface, Reagan subtly disparages communism while simultaneously building up…

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…

The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall The United States’ and Soviet Union’s victory over Germany at the Elbe River, gave an image of peace to the rest of the world, as two nations combined to defeat a power that did everything it could to rise up and control the rest of the world. Unfortunately, human nature has shown, previous to World War II, that the world can’t live in peace because only one can be the best and most powerful. When Germany surrendered in the spring of 1945, the peace-making…

of the Soviet Union, President Ronald Reagan issued a statement on June 12, 1987. He arrived to the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin with a challenge: to tear down the Berlin Wall and rally citizens to oppose the wall and accept democracy, “Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” There was no doubt that Reagan was a world leader and his word was very impactful. With his weighted word as President of the United States, along with moral appeal,…