IndexContents of the Berlin Wall EssayIntroductionThe Construction and Purpose of the Berlin WallThe Challenges of Crossing the Berlin WallThe Fall of the Berlin WallConsequences and LegacyBerlin Wall Essay ExampleIntroductionThe Meaning of the Wall of Berlin in dividing East and West BerlinThe political context of the Allies and the Soviets in post-World War II BerlinThe construction and purpose of the Berlin WallNikita Khrushchev's decision and Walter Ulbricht to build the Berlin WallThe role of the Berlin Wall in preventing East Berliners from fleeing to the WestEfforts to retain essential workers in East BerlinThe challenges of crossing the Berlin WallDescription of physical barriers, including the "death strip"The desperation of East Berliners and creative methods used to cross itThe impact of the wall on families and professional livesThe fall of the Berlin WallSchabowski's announcement and his consequencesThe destruction of the wall by the citizensThe wider implications of the fall of the Berlin Wall, including the end of the Cold War and the reunification of GermanyConsequences and legaciesThe lasting impact of the Berlin Wall on the citizens of BerlinThe role of the wall in shaping the city's landscapeReflections on the meaning of both the rise and fall of the Berlin WallBerlin Wall Essay ExampleThe walls in people's heads are sometimes more constricting than those of concrete and steel.' A quote from Willy Brandt, mayor of West Berlin. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Berlin Wall would create not only a border between East and West Berlin, but would also underline the understanding among the Allies that the Soviets would assert their dominance over its Eastern European allies and East Berlin, while the Allies would claim West Germany and West Berlin under their control. The Berlin Wall would have divided people and others in East Berlin who used the richer West to get more money than in the East where there was not as much wealth and worse jobs than the West. The hopes and dreams of thousands of people were dashed during the night of August 13, 1961, when Nikita Khrushchev and Walter Ulbricht held a conference call and ordered the construction of one of the most infamous borders in history. There's a problem. The city of Berlin. A city in the heart of the GDR (German Democratic Republic), yet divided into four parts. The fact that this city was not completely communist was “stuck like a bone in the throat of the Soviets.” as Khrushchev said. During the Cold War, citizens of all major powers lived in constant fear of nuclear attack, and the sad truth was that if one day an atomic bomb suddenly fell from the sky, there was nothing they could do about it. The kids had a “bomb drill” in class, and all they could do was hide under their desks, which wouldn't have done much to protect themselves from a bomb that would vaporize everything underneath. Nowhere was this more true than in Berlin (with notable exceptions), and this fear reached its peak (arguably) in 1948, when the Soviet Red Army surrounded Berlin and cut off all convoys bringing food and other necessary goods for survival, hoping to starve the Allies out of the city, “The transport division of the Soviet Military Administration is forced to suspend all passenger and cargo traffic to and from Berlin tomorrow at 6:00 am due to technical difficulties. West Berlin will only receive electricity from 11pm to 1am: Soviet statement”. The Red Army,however, he had not restricted access to Berlin by air. The Allies sent planes carrying thousands of tons of food to Berlin, a nearly impossible task, as they had to stay in three extremely narrow air lanes and if they strayed from these routes, Soviet fighters would be taken as an excuse to attack. . This was made more dangerous because, in the words of an anonymous USAF pilot: "We had no weapons, only flour;" We had disarmed them. Air routes also passed over mountains, where the altitude could be too high and the oxygen level too low, resulting in the deaths of 101 British and American pilots. Seeing that the airlift was working too well, the Soviets lifted the blockade and food could once again reach Berlin. Act 1 In 1961, 17 years after the airlift, Moscow was concerned about a rapid population decline in East Berlin due to improved living conditions. and jobs in West Berlin. Every day thousands of East Berliners crossed the border to go to work or visit family. It all ended when the wall was built. One of the main reasons why the wall was built was to help maintain the population and stop the thousands of people fleeing from East Berlin. Another reason was to keep the most essential workers, such as scientists, doctors and generally intellectually minded people, as they had moved westward in large numbers. Act 2On August 13, 1961, the Soviet Union built the Berlin Wall. The Wall prevented East Berliners from moving to West Berlin. Even after the wall was built, many people tried to climb over it and reach West Berlin. Thousands of people made it west, but the journey to West Berlin was much more arduous than before the wall was built. Over the years, approximately 138 people died trying to cross the wall. The reason the wall was so difficult to cross was that there were actually two walls to cross. Between the two walls was an area that the Germans called the “Death Strip.” This Death Strip was so difficult to cross because there were land mines, trigger machine guns, guard dogs, anti-vehicle trenches, barbed wire and hundreds of guard towers. If an East Berlin citizen trying to escape set foot on the Death Strip, the guards were allowed to shoot without warning. People were so desperate to get into West Berlin that they would do almost anything to get through. Some innovative attempts to cross included drifting in hot air balloons, driving a souped-up truck through the wall, sliding down zip lines, flying in a fake Soviet plane, digging tunnels, and even walking a tightrope to freedom. It is estimated that over three decades more than 5,000 people successfully breached the Wall. This wall affected both sides of Berlin in many ways. Many families have been separated for decades. Many people lost their jobs because they couldn't get to their jobs on the other side of Berlin. People on both sides despised the Wall for the impact it had on their personal and professional lives. The wall stood for about 28 years until an East Berlin Communist Party spokesman, Schabowski, announced that travel visa restrictions would be abolished. When asked when the new policy would begin, he replied: “Immediately, without delay.” Schabowski's confused responses were one of the many reasons the wall collapsed. That week more than 2 million people from East Berlin visited West Berlin. This eventually ended with people arriving with pickaxes and sledgehammers.