A fortified border which spans 155 kilometers separates east and west, communism and democracy, and repression from freedom (Walled In: Germany’s Inner Border). This barrier is known to many as The Berlin Wall. It became a significant symbol that represented all of those things depending on which side of the wall you were on. The events leading up to the building and destruction of the wall were very important to not only the Germans, but also to the whole world. The wall itself was a very complex security system and claimed many lives of those who tried to flee from East Berlin to West Berlin. When World War II was winding down, Russia claimed Berlin as a spoil of war. In order to share it with the rest of the Allies, Berlin was divided into four different sections. The Soviets got the farthest east, and the US, Britain, and France got the rest. In an attempt to gain control of all of Berlin and have its say in the future economy of Germany, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin developed a plan to cut off all the land routes into the Western side of Berlin on June 24, 1948 (Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall). To get around this, US President Truman ordered for the Berlin Airlift to begin. This was a way to airdrop needed food, water, clothing, and other supplies into the area for almost a year. During this time, over 200,000 planes carried in 1.5 million tons of supplies into West Berlin (Berlin Airlift Begins). While all this is happening, around 3 million East Berlin citizens moved to West Berlin which drastically decreased the population. With everyone leaving, the economy starts to weaken and is on the verge of collapsing. Stalin realizes that he needs to keep as many citizens in the area as possible and starts to think of some sort of barrier to separate the East from the West. Moscow gave permission to build some sort of barrier, but from what Stalin told them they never would have imagined that The Berlin Wall would result. On August 13, 1961 a US/West Berlin tank driver noticed something strange happening at the border between East and West Berlin. It looked like they were beginning to construct a massive wall between the two territories. The military officers were about to crush the start of the wall with their tanks, but minutes before, US President John F. Kennedy called them and told them to not touch the wall. He did not want to start another conflict and opted for a protest instead of violence. The makeshift wall was 95 meters long and completely enclosed West Berlin. Soon, the Berlin Wall that many came to know was built in place of the first wall (Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall). The Berlin
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At this time, Gorbachev was contemplating reforms throughout all of Germany including reunifying Berlin. Some citizens were opposed to reunification because they didn’t want to have each other 's problems. East Germany had economical problems and the West wasn’t perfect either. Peaceful protests were gaining speed about opening the wall for good and the authorities were losing control rapidly. The start of the fall of the wall was when Czechoslovakia and Hungary opened their borders and the electric fences were dismantled between the borders. At the news of the borders starting to be opened, many East German vacationers rapidly fled the area (Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall). Finally, on November 9th, 1989 the government issued a statement that said people were free to come and go as they pleased. The fall of the Berlin Wall symbolized the end of communism for all. Timothy Garton Ash was a journalist in West Berlin at the time and remembers the moment when the news made it to him that it was finally coming down after so many ears. He, along with many others, went to the wall to see it for themselves. Many climbed on top of the wall and chipped away at it to keep a piece as a souvenir and everyone celebrated for many days. Later, a formal destruction of the wall took place and pieces of the wall can still be seen in museums. The rest of the concrete was recycled and used to rebuild Berlin
At this time, Gorbachev was contemplating reforms throughout all of Germany including reunifying Berlin. Some citizens were opposed to reunification because they didn’t want to have each other 's problems. East Germany had economical problems and the West wasn’t perfect either. Peaceful protests were gaining speed about opening the wall for good and the authorities were losing control rapidly. The start of the fall of the wall was when Czechoslovakia and Hungary opened their borders and the electric fences were dismantled between the borders. At the news of the borders starting to be opened, many East German vacationers rapidly fled the area (Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall). Finally, on November 9th, 1989 the government issued a statement that said people were free to come and go as they pleased. The fall of the Berlin Wall symbolized the end of communism for all. Timothy Garton Ash was a journalist in West Berlin at the time and remembers the moment when the news made it to him that it was finally coming down after so many ears. He, along with many others, went to the wall to see it for themselves. Many climbed on top of the wall and chipped away at it to keep a piece as a souvenir and everyone celebrated for many days. Later, a formal destruction of the wall took place and pieces of the wall can still be seen in museums. The rest of the concrete was recycled and used to rebuild Berlin