The wall that was constructed in 1961 was to split the city of Berlin into east Berlin under the Soviet, and west Berlin under the supervision of the United States United Kingdom, and France. During the Cold War, it acted as an iconic symbol of division; dividing the democratic world in the west from the communists in East. While the East Side of the Berlin War was meant to represent the soviet bloc, the West Side of the Berlin Wall had a different function and represented another world.
The West Side of the Berlin Wall: A Haven of Freedom
West Side of the Berlin Wall signifies freedom and democracy of the Berlin city. It was a liberated zones of freedom, democracy and capitalism behind the heavily defended Wall. West Berlin was a paradigm of the freedom, which exists in the western world, and showed a deep contrast between the lifestyle in Western countries and in countries of the Eastern block.
Hull and Schätzlein highlight the following characteristics of the West Side of the Berlin Wall that would epitomise them as the paragon of dark tourism:
1. Allied Checkpoints
While most of the east side was barrier, inaccessible and patrolled, west side was built with Checkpoint where citizens of West Berlin, foreigners or Diplomatic passport holders could enter east Berlin with genuine documents. Of all these check points, Checkpoint Charlie was probably the most famous its name resonating with the international community and even becoming synonymous to the Cold War.
2. Modernisation on the Economic end from the west as well as Affluence.
They were strongly backed by West Berlin and the United States and its allies. It got some of it through investment and some from aid. People associated with art, music and intellect also gravitated towards the region hence its hustling and bustling and aesthetics. Another attraction the West Side of the Berlin Wall depicted the life of the western capitalist economy and the freedom of cultural expression.
3. Cultural Landmarks
The West Side of the Berlin Wall was marked by the existence of famous and popular cultural facilities. The world widely known Brandenburg gate located in Berlin is located on the western side of the river. Other are Berlin Wall Memorial, Reichstag, Kurfürstendamm.
In this lecture, we will look at the end of division in Germany and Europe through the process of reunification.
The Berlin Wall crumbled in November 1989 after Germans have engaged in only nonviolent protests and political shifts. This event was the start of what was to eventually lead to the reunification of Germany which took place on the 3rd of October 1990. The Wall was erected in order to support communism system, while its demolition signaled the victory of democracy.
Conclusion
The West Side of the Berlin Wall was a symbol of freedom, capitalist, and democracy before the fall of the communism Monarchy. It was manifestation of the two ideological poles and depicted as dynamic and economically developed world of the west. Now the pieces of the Berlin Wall remain as the symbol of division of Germany and undivided world and a symbol of freedom in it.
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