A Political and Economic Dictionary of Western Europe, First Edition
The Berlin Wall, 155km in length, physically divided the east and west parts of the city of Berlin, Germany, for 28 years. In fact, the whole border between the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the Federal Republic of Germany was guarded. A barrier between socialist east and capitalist west, the Berlin Wall became a metaphor for political and military division in Europe during the Cold War.
Construction of the Berlin Wall by the GDR began overnight on 13 August 1961. According to GDR propaganda, the purpose of the Berlin Wall was to protect East Germans from the ‘fascist’ west: it was an ‘Antifaschistischer Schutzwall’. In reality it was a measure to stem the mass migration of GDR citizens and thus human capital to the west. A number of GDR citizens did manage to overcome the barrier and flee to the west through tunnels, hidden in cars, or in boats. But more than 80 were killed by border guards while attempting to escape. Willy Brandt, mayor of Berlin in 1963, negotiated with the GDR that West Berliners be allowed to pass to the East to visit relatives over the Christmas period.
From 1972 the Fundamental Treaty between the two Germanys allowed for more movement and journalists and pensioners in the GDR were allowed to pass to the west. In 1989 civil rights movements across the GDR protested for democratic reforms and more freedom to travel.
On 9 November 1989 the GDR regime agreed to introduce new travel regulations and this policy was announced at a press conference by the East German politician Günter Schabowski. When asked by an Italian journalist when the regulations for ‘permanent emigration’ come into force, Schabowski hesitated and, finding no answer in his brief, replied spontaneously that they did so immediately. The press conference was reported on West German news ‘Tagesthemen’ to which East German citizens had access. On hearing that the borders were open, GDR citizens descended en masse to the border checkpoints which were then opened by guards. That night East and West Berliners celebrated together and began to dismantle the concrete construction.
The fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989 is also used to symbolize the collapse of socialist Eastern Europe, and the end of the Cold War. Today, only small parts of the Berlin Wall remain standing. However, many Germans refer to a ‘wall in the heads’ that still divides the unified state.
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