The Berlin Wall, erected in 1961, separated the city of Berlin into two parts: West Berlin and East Berlin. It operated as a barrier on the geographic and the political plane separating the western world liberal democratic nations and the Soviet Eastern Bloc. The wall represented the Cold War era and War between capitalist and communism system of economies.
The Dividing Line
The construction of the Berlin Wall followed a circumference of about 155 km surrounding the West Berlin. The wall comprised of numerous barriers like, fences, walls, watchtowers and a death strip, in order to avert the border crossing. This division stemmed from the poltical faction that existed in the East and the West.
West Berlin: The Free Side
The West Berlin is known as the free side of the Berlin Wall. It was one of the eastern West German states, a democratic country backed then by the English-speaking nations of the west including the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. While the East Berliners had limited freedom, restricted economy having no control over it and totalitarian rule.
1. Personal Freedoms
West Berlin population could choose its representatives and vote in free-elections, had freedom of speech and could travel without much difficulty to any part of the world. They had freedom of speech, assembly and the freedom of the press. Also, Western culture and life were visible, as West Berliners had a constant supply of operas, concerts, night clubs, restaurants, magazines, and consumer products.
2. Capitalist Economy
West Berlin was an example of a capitalists system, with free market and private individuals’ ownership of enterprises. This resulted in higher level of living as compared to the eastern side of the country. The economic boom led plenty of youths and professionals mainly from East Berlin and other Eastern-bloc nations.
3. Democratic Governance
From the years 1949 to 1990 West Berlin was governed by its own freely elected parliament that was backed by western countries as the legitimate government of the city. The government over the people was a democratic government and acted as the people’s mouthpiece. It was established to have had a cordial relationship with West Germany and it had allies that supported it.
East Berlin: Life Behind the Wall
On the right, West Berlin was a part of West Germany, a capitalist country, while on the left, East Berlin was a socialist country that was controlled by the Soviet Union. The region became under a communist rule, and these people had different conditions during their lives.
1. Limited Freedoms
The citizens of East Berlin lacked as much individual liberty as those of the western part of the city. They received restricted freedom of speech and their political views were closely regulated. Opposition was clearly stifled; individuals were spied on by the Stasi, the secret police. In general, people’s mobility was restricted especially to Western countries; sometimes it was impossible to travel even for business purposes.
2. Socialist Economy
East Berlin was an embodiment of socialist economy with a centrally planned system of economy. The means of production were experienced in their ownership by the whole society, so the state was involved in major industries. Though this system was intended to promote fairness in distribution, it worked to give a raw deal to consumers, there was scarcity of consumer goods and much lower living standards than in the western countries were achieved.
3. Communist Governance
East Berlin was controlled by a party that was so closely associated with the union of Soviet socialist republics. Since the formation of more centralized government the authority had a firm grip on a number of facets of life such as political, media and learning. Again, the political power was vested in a central government which did not accept any form of opposition.
Conclusion
In the nutshell, it deploys that it was the West Berlin that was referred to as ‘the free side of the Berlin Wall’. It offered its citizens personal liberties, market economy and democracy. But in East Berlin one had restricted access to freedom of speech and movement along with a socialist type of economy.
Although the Berlin Wall was actually a physical barrier for almost three decades, it actually was destroyed in 1989.: The Berlin Wall too remained an emblem of division for about 28 years which again was torn down in 1989. This meeting was a crucial step to the unification of Germany and the dismantling of the cold war structures.
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