The building of the East Germany’s Berlin Wall on August 13, 1961 had many implications to the political situation and the relationships during the Cold War. This wall, separating Eastern and western Germany impacted the lives of the people in Berlin and people around the world had something to say about it. Thus, in this article, the author will examine the bitter experience of the West in response to the construction of the Berlin Wall and the consequences that followed in the sphere of international relations.
The Initial Shock and Outrage
As soon as the people of the world got to know the existence of the Berlin Wall then there were only anger and disgust expressed in them. Western leaders protested the construction for human rights abuses and the construction as a sign of Cold War tension of the East and West. It symbolized with the Iron Curtain that had been existing in Europe since the end of the Second World War.
1. Political Condemnation
Practically all politicians in Western countries such as United States, United Kingdom and France opposed to the construction of Berlin Wall and the actions of GDR. They were convinced that such an approach proved the Soviet domination and incipient threat to the values of liberty and democracy.
2. Economic Boycott
It must be said that the construction of the Berlin Wall had economic consequences too. The western powers on their part proceeded to slap what they called economic sanctions on East Germany and proceeded to institute a boycott of products manufactured in the eastern part of the country. In this way, the West wanted to force the GDR government and bring them into focus as being an economically threatened state.
Allies and Support
The West did not content itself with just condemnations and sanctions to the construction of the Berlin Wall. Western leaders also wanted to promote and defend the people of West Berlin who were now sealed behind the East Germany barrier.
1. Kennedy’s Famous Visit
There was a remarkable episode of the West’s support, and that was when the then U.S president John F. Kennedy visited West Berlin in June of 1963. During his visit, Kennedy delivered his famous speech in which he uttered the now-iconic phrase: This was translated into “Ich bin ein Berliner” (I am a Berliner). This expression of the people of Berlin to unite supported the western countries to resist division.
2. The Berlin Airlift Spirit
It is significant to remember that the Berlin Wall construction awoke in the Western Allies the memories of the Berlin Airlift a decade before when West Berlin was supplied by air when the Soviet Union had blockaded it. In the same way as in 1948 people were supporting each other, the actions against the wall were the sign of people’s will to protect freedom again.
Symbol of Resistance
Years later, the very symbol of the division – the Berlin Wall- represented a way of standing up to Soviet rule. It was a perpetual badge of the oppression of those on the east side and helped explain why westerns worked towards a united Germany.
1. Support for Escape Attempts
As the wall grew taller and thicker, such attempts grew more and more reckless. It shared information with the would-be emigrants, supplied them with food and shelter, and made Western embassy compounds available to them. The attempts made for this purpose were in order to join their families and to gain liberty in the west for the East Germans.
2. Artistic Expression
People who were denied their freedom used the Berlin Wall as a billboard where they could continue practicing their art with a political protest against the division the barrier represented. A dramatic and very public form of art occurred with the use of a section of the East Side of Berlin that was turned into a mural gallery of political and social commentaries.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
The response of the West to the Berlin Wall was at its peak on the 9th November 1989 when the wall came crumbling down which was a revolution times. It was marked by joy, and the world over people from both East and West Berlin shared hugs as the barrier came down.
1. A Triumph for Freedom
The breakdown of the Berlin Wall was regarded optimistic for liberty and as well the defeat of the East over the West. It marked the end of the Cold War and the setting free of the German nation aimed at reunion with its western states.
2. The Reunification of Germany
The breaking down of Berlin wall led to the reunification of Germany. The GDR and the FRG became unified on the 3 October 1990 Thus the Berlin Wall and the division of East and West Germany that has lasted for almost thirty years in form and spirit ceased to exist.
Conclusion
The fall of the Berlin wall was an important historical symbol which evoked a number of response in the west. The first reaction was anger and protest later transformed into political vendetta and economic sanctions. But it was the leaders of the West too who encouraged the people of West Berlin and assured them of their will to fight for freedom. It remained a symbol of suppression and defiance, which resulted into western attempts to fund people’s bids to escape and freedom of expression. People ecstatically celebrating at the blessed event of the breaking of the wall have understood it as freedom and reunification of Germany.
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