The Cold war can also be understood by understanding the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961. This wall, separating East and West Berlin, acted as a physical representation of the Cold War cleavage between communism and capitalism. Although it functioned primarily to keep the East Germans from escaping to the prosperous West, the Berlin Wall also changed the way the West looked at the problem. Before further discussing modern renderings of the Wall, let us focus on the West’s perception of the existence of the Berlin Wall.
1. Shock and Outrage
Already when reports about construction of the Berlin Wall reached the western countries, they were surprised and angered. Suddenly families, friends, a city, that until then had been one, were split as a reminder of how much East Germany was willing to impose order. The West perceived it as a violation of this cardinal human right and as proof of the regimen’s cruelty inherent in communism.
2. Symbol of the Cold War
This new symbol materialized and concretized a version of Cold War conflict involving the superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union. Western political leadership regarded it as an opportunity to pursue an outspoken war of East and West which are induced first and foremost by the difference of world outlook – market economy and communism. Wall therefore became an icon, and a rallying point for the western world’s pledge to defend freedom and democracy.
3. Support for West Berliners
The free world symphonically showed support for the people of West Berlin, which was now surrounded by the Wall. West Berlin was the major target of both economic might as well as military power supply provided by the United States and other western powers during the Cold war. But it did much more than offer material aid; it assured those beyond the Wall that the West was not going to turn its back on them.
4. Propaganda Tool
West also benefited from the Berlin Wall since it became famous propaganda that exposed the inefficiency of communism compare to the effectiveness of capitalistic and democratic society. It emerged as a symbol of oppression and imprisons of life under communism. Reports, shows and live testaments of defectors were use to reveal the truth about East Germany, the campaign to safeguard Western civilization was reiterated.
5. Symbol of Hope and Freedom
While its main function was to confine people, graphs later transformed into IXW as the Sign of Freedom. West Berlin was a free growing economy while the East Berlin had a slow growing economy. Finally the Wall had become the symbol of the desire to be reunited and of the key nature of communism in the West and the eventual defiance of the system.
Conclusion
Evaluating the effectiveness of the Berlin Wall into how the West percieved the Cold War and it’s fight against communism. It created scandalous responses at first, but it soon ‘dug into’ that essential struggle of ideologies. The West supported West Berlin and employed the Wall in influencing the general population. As despotic as it was, the Wall was finally seen as a beacon of hope and liberty, as are people of Germany and elsewhere. The act of Berlin Wall being brought down in 1989 was one of history’s defining moments, a victory for the west, and for freedom and democracy.
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