The Berlin Wall

This section explains The Berlin Wall and it’s construction and how it became A symbol of the Cold War. The Berlin Wall was one of the most iconic symbols of the Cold War, representing the division between the Eastern Bloc and the West. Its construction was a direct result of the deepening tensions between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies, particularly over the status of Berlin, the capital of Germany, which had been divided into four zones following the end of the Second World War.

The Division of Berlin and Germany

At the Yalta Conference in 1945, the Allies decided to divide Germany into four occupation zones after the defeat of Nazi Germany. These zones were controlled by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union, with Berlin, the capital, lying deep within the Soviet zone of occupation. Despite being entirely surrounded by Soviet-controlled territory, Berlin itself was also divided into four sectors, each controlled by one of the Allied powers.

However, the division of Berlin soon became a major point of contention during the Cold War. Tensions between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies, particularly the United States, intensified as both sides competed for ideological, political, and economic influence over Germany and Berlin. The Berlin Blockade of 1948-49, when the Soviets attempted to cut off access to West Berlin, was one of the first significant crises that highlighted the difficulties of managing a divided city.

The Role of East Germany and the Soviet Leadership

By the early 1960s, the East German government, led by Walter Ulbricht, was increasingly concerned about the influence of the Western Allies in West Berlin, which served as a beacon of capitalism and democracy in the heart of communist-controlled East Germany. Ulbricht pressured Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to support efforts to undermine the Western presence in West Berlin.

Khrushchev, in turn, had suggested signing a peace treaty with East Germany without involving the Western Allies. This treaty would transfer control of East Berlin from the Soviet Union to the East German government. The East German authorities, under Ulbricht's leadership, were keen to take a harder stance than the Soviets on Berlin, hoping to consolidate their control over the East and weaken the Western position.

The Construction of the Berlin Wall

On 13 August 1961, the East German authorities, with Soviet backing, began the construction of the Berlin Wall. Initially, they erected a barbed-wire barrier that effectively cut off East Berlin from the Western sectors. Within days, this temporary wire barrier was replaced with a concrete wall, reinforced with lookout towers and guarded by armed soldiers who were instructed to shoot anyone attempting to cross into West Berlin. The wall physically and symbolically divided the city, becoming a potent symbol of the ideological conflict between communism and capitalism.

Reasons for the Berlin Wall’s Construction

There were several key factors behind the decision to build the Berlin Wall:

• The Brain Drain: Throughout the 1950s, thousands of East Germans had fled to the West via Berlin, seeking refuge from the harsh political climate and economic hardship under communist rule. Many of these defectors were skilled professionals, including doctors, engineers, and teachers, and their departure created a serious drain on the East German economy. The East German government could ill afford to lose its most talented workers, who were essential for the development of the country.
• The Lure of the West: During the 1950s, it was relatively easy for people living in the Eastern sectors of Berlin to visit the West. The contrast between the two sides was stark—West Berlin offered better living standards, higher wages, better housing, and a more consumer-oriented lifestyle, all funded by the Western Allies. The allure of capitalism and the visible benefits of life in the West enticed many East Germans to flee, creating a growing divide between the two parts of the city.
• Espionage: Berlin was a key location for intelligence gathering during the Cold War. The city, though located in the heart of East Germany, was controlled by the Western Allies and thus became a hub for American spies and intelligence officers, who used the city as a base to monitor Soviet military activities. This made Berlin a centre of espionage, a fact that further irritated the Soviet leadership.
• Asymmetry of the Cold War: Nikita Khrushchev was acutely aware of the imbalance in power between East and West, particularly in Germany. The capitalist West, with its strong economy and military might, dominated the western part of Germany, while the Soviet-controlled East was economically weaker and politically less stable. Berlin was a symbolic weak point for the West, as it was surrounded by communist territory. For Khrushchev, the presence of Western powers in the heart of East Germany represented a challenge to Soviet influence, and pressuring Berlin through the construction of the wall was one way to address the perceived imbalance in the Cold War.

Impact and Legacy

The construction of the Berlin Wall marked a new phase in the Cold War. It was an attempt by the Soviet Union and East Germany to stem the flow of defectors to the West, solidify the division of Berlin, and signal their resolve to maintain control over East Germany. The wall remained in place for nearly 30 years, until it was finally dismantled in 1989 as the Cold War began to thaw and the Soviet Union’s grip on Eastern Europe loosened.

The Berlin Wall became a powerful symbol of the division between East and West, and its fall in 1989 marked the beginning of the end of the Cold War and the reunification of Germany.