The Berlin Wall was erected in 1961 by the government of East Germany to ensure that people from the East Berlin that belonged to the Soviet block did not escape to West Berlin which was controlled by the western democratic countries. This wall was a major symbol of the cold days and the divider between the communists and the capitalists. Now let us look at the perspective and portrayal that the USSR had of the Berlin Wall.
1. The Wall as Protection
On this circumstance, from the soviet supplied depiction, the berlin wall is put up with the intention of protecting east Berlin from the western imperialists. The USSR claimed that construction of the wall was justified because certain evil western nations aimed at bringing spies into the Soviet-controlled territories.
2. It Contributed to Stability
The other party the Soviet Union provided grounds that the wall had helped to prevent any probable clashes and further aggression in the city of Berlin. As per their perception, such division was lessening the tensions and there was need of Berlin Wall to keep the west away from influencing them.
3. A Defense Against Espionage
The Russians said that the wall served to prevent spying by the West on the East Germany territories. While East Germans, backed up by Soviet Union power, most typically accused western Germans of being spies and subversives in East Berlin. In their story, the wall was a rationalization as a means of preserving their sovereignty.
4. A Symbol of Communist Ideals
Both of the previously mentioned symbols which are arrows are in opposition of the Berlin Wall that was the emblem of the Soviet Union communism. They cultivated the notion which said that the wall proved the solidity and invulnerability of the soviet model of society. The wall was portrayed by the Soviet’s propaganda apparatus as material symbol of the victory of socialism over their detested foe, capitalism, and the reaffirmation of the split between the two systems.
5. But just as an example of the actual western aggression.
The USSR masked the construction of the Berlin Wall as an action in defense against the actions facilitated by the ‘West’. They painted the wall as a measure in response to provocative policies and endeavors to overthrow the socialist government. Thus, by stressing on the western imperialism, the Soviet Union sought to explain to its own people the need for the wall for finally reaping its support.
6. Preventing Brain Drain
The construction of the wall was an effort to prevent increasing brain drain, the emigration of qualified workforce, professionals and other intellectuals from East Berlin to West Berlin. Soviet Union and East German authorities justified construction of the wall because the wall helped stop the waste of valuable resources, people and talents that would otherwise continue to move to the West.
7. East Germany as a Showcase
The USSR sought to market East Germany and the East Berlin particularly as a developed and successful socialist state, a move against the corruption and injustice of the ‘western world,’ so they would say. The wall was therefore an accurate symbol in this instance as it portrayed the practices of the Western world – as inferior and inferior to the Eastern Bloc.
Conclusion
The Berlin Wall was a barrier that separated East and West Berlin and at the same time had strong political meaning during the Cold War. The Soviet Union saw it as a wall that wasams essential in defending its space, counter spying as well as enforcing their strength and existence of socialism. Although political factors and reasoning evolved in different ways, this view of the story raises awareness of a set of slogans the USSR used to legitimize the construction of the Wall.
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