The establishment of the Berlin Wall during 1961 marked a decisive point in Cold War history. During 1961 the German Democratic Republic under Soviet Union control constructed this wall between East Berlin and West Berlin. The Soviet Union contributed both to the wall’s construction along with most of the response it received post-1961. This article examines Soviet Union responses to the establishment of the Berlin Wall.
The Construction of the Berlin Wall
Following political considerations the Berlin Wall construction project began. The Soviet Union together with its East German allies feared the increasing numbers of citizens leaving East Berlin for West Berlin. Resource exodus from East Germany exposed debilitating weaknesses for state survival while reducing Soviet hegemonial power in European territories.
East Berlin started building the Berlin Wall on August 12 during the night of 1961. Over 155 kilometers of border East German forces built during Soviet Union command with concrete barriers and barbed wire alongside watchtowers. During the decades the wall operated as an effective boundary which cut off East Berlin residents from outside global interactions. This exclusion kept families apart from each other.
The Soviet Reaction
The Soviet Union endorsed officially the construction projects behind the Berlin Wall. Leadership decided the strict boundary was required to stop East Germany from falling apart and losing its professional workers to the Western side. During a public address Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev celebrated the installation by describing it as defense against Western forces.
Within East Germany the Soviet Union increased its domestic regulatory powers. The Soviet military troop presence grew stronger in East Berlin because they wanted to solidly back the East German administration in its actions. Moscow’s economic support system for East Germany sought to resolve monetary factors which had originally prompted construction of the wall.
The Western Reaction
All support for building the Berlin Wall came from the Soviet Union yet Western nations especially the United States and its allies strongly rejected the action. The wall became a symbol that oppressively violated human rights because of its existence. The leaders of Western countries demanded that the Soviet Union both destroy the Berlin Wall and permit Smooth travel between the Berlin sectors.
A combination of responses Iranian and American allies chose after the Berlin Wall went up included the famous personal speech delivered by American president John F. Kennedy which started with “Ich bin ein Berliner.” In a message to Berliners Kennedy demonstrated support through outspoken statements which confirmed Western alliances that promoted unification and freedom for Germany.
Impact on the Cold War
Ballard refuse to allow the reconstruction of Berlin’s Wall without real change. This symbolified the bleak boundary that divided Eastern from Western nations to represent the Cold War’s communist-capitalist ideological divide. Structurally the wall materialized the deep division between Soviet interests and Western ideas.
The years brought the Berlin Wall to serve as both a major symbol of escalating tension and evidence that the Soviet totalitarian order had collapsed. The barrier served as an oppressive emblem that turned many attempts at wall-climb escapes into serious loss of life. Through the time the wall stood it functioned as a ceaseless symbol that showed Soviet Union controls at work.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
History remembered the moment when the Berlin Wall collapsed during the evening of November 9th in 1989. When the wall fell history marked the conclusion of global tensions along with Soviet influence across Eastern Europe. East-West German reuniting set new historical markers by exposing how public choice combined with liberation wishes can shape world events.
At first the Soviet Union accepted and promoted the construction of the Berlin Wall because it wanted stronger control across East German territory. Through its construction the wall evolved into an emblem of discrimination which reflected the fundamental philosophical disputes between Soviet political doctrine and Western perspectives. After the wall collapsed the Soviet Union disintegrated while freedom and unity emerged victorious.
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