Professor Harrison: The wall symbolized the lack of freedom under communism. It symbolized
the Cold War
and divide between the communist Soviet bloc and the western democratic, capitalist bloc. Professor Stein: Berlin was on the frontline in the Cold War struggle between the superpowers.
What problems did the Berlin Wall cause?
The Berlin wall
divided families who found themselves unable to visit each other
. Many East Berliners were cut off from their jobs. West Berliners demonstrated against the wall and their mayor Willy Brandt led the criticism against the United States who they felt had failed to respond.
What does Berlin Wall symbolize?
The wall, which stood between 1961 to 1989, came to symbolize
the ‘Iron Curtain’
– the ideological split between East and West – that existed across Europe and between the two superpowers, the US and the Soviet Union, and their allies, during the Cold War.
What was the significance of taking down the Berlin Wall?
The official purpose of this Berlin Wall was to
keep so-called Western “fascists” from entering East Germany and undermining the socialist state
, but it primarily served the objective of stemming mass defections from East to West.
How did the Berlin Wall increase tensions?
Due to the failures of the summits
, the tension over Berlin INTENSIFIED. As a result, even more Berliners crossed to the West just in case Khrushchev closed the border. At night, East German troops built a barbed wire fence around Berlin and between East and West Berlin.
Who was president when the Berlin Wall fell?
Gorbachev, tear down this wall”, also known as the Berlin Wall Speech, was a speech delivered by United States President Ronald Reagan in West Berlin on June 12, 1987.
Who was affected by the Berlin Wall?
The rise of the Berlin Wall, and subsequent occupation of
East and West Germany
caused an economic disparity between the two countries. West Germany was flooded with wealthy foreign soldiers, who bolstered its economy, while East Germany, under the authoritarian rule of the Soviets, saw much worse conditions.
Why was Berlin so important?
Berlin was
a focal point of the Cold War
, and one could even argue that the Cold War started and ended in Berlin. Berlin had been the capital of Nazi Germany before it was captured by the Soviets in 1945. … East Berlin was the capital of East Germany, and West Berlin was under the control of West Germany.
How did the Berlin Wall affect the world?
The Berlin Wall
dismantling saw anti-communism, and communism intolerance
, spread quickly around Eastern Europe with free elections and economic reforms following suit.
Why did East Germany fall?
Historian Frank Bösch says
economic hardship
was one of the main reasons for the collapse of the East German dictatorship. As an example, Bösch, who is director of the Leibniz Center for Contemporary History Potsdam (ZZF), points to the large amount of debt the GDR had amassed with Western countries.
How did Berlin get divided?
After World War II, defeated Germany was divided into Soviet, American, British and French zones of occupation
. The city of Berlin, though technically part of the Soviet zone, was also split, with the Soviets taking the eastern part of the city.
How many people died trying to cross the Berlin Wall?
At the Berlin Wall alone,
at least 140 people
were killed or died in other ways directly connected to the GDR border regime between 1961 and 1989, including 100 people who were shot, accidentally killed, or killed themselves when they were caught trying to make it over the Wall; 30 people from both East and West who …
What country built the Berlin Wall?
In response,
East Germany
built a barrier to close off East Germans’ access to West Berlin and hence West Germany. That barrier, the Berlin Wall, was first erected on the night of August 12–13, 1961, as the result of a decree passed on August 12 by the East German Volkskammer (“Peoples’ Chamber”).
Why did Germany split into East and West?
At the end of the Second World War, Germany was divided into four zones of occupation under the control of the United States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union. … Germany became
a focus of Cold War politics
and as divisions between East and West became more pronounced, so too did the division of Germany.
What did JFK say about the Berlin Wall?
“Freedom has many difficulties and democracy is not perfect, but we have never had to put a wall up to keep our people in
,” JFK stated. After praising the people of West Berlin for being at the front lines of the Cold War, he finished up by repeating his soon-to-be famous phrase.
Who ordered the Berlin Wall to be torn down?
On June 12, 1987 — more than 25 years after the Berlin Wall first divided the city’s East and West — U.S. President Ronald Reagan gave a famous speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, challenging his Soviet counterpart
Mikhail Gorbachev
by declaring, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”
