The construction of the Berlin Wall has become not only a symbol of the division of the German nation - this event marked the materialization of the Iron Curtain on the continent and around the world. The wall became a demonstrative border between two warring world systems: with military posts, barbed wire, observation towers and other relevant attributes of the Cold War.
The construction of the Berlin Wall: a symbol of world schism
The foundation for its construction was laid at the final stage of the Second World War. The fact that the allied forces — the USSR, on the one hand, and the USA and Great Britain — on the other, entered German territory at the same time, predetermined the construction of the Berlin Wall in the future. After signing the surrender, Germany was divided into the so-called zones of occupation, divided between the already noted allies and France. Actually, the city of Berlin itself was cut into three parts. Indeed, despite the allied relations built on opposing the Nazi regime (with which it simply became impossible to coexist), the relations of the Soviet leadership with Western countries were not at all cloudless. One way or another, these contradictions should have surfaced after a common victory. Mutual mistrust and simultaneous entry into Germany led to the fact that the country was divided into four zones, where each of the victors in their own way controlled the processes of post-war reconstruction and denazification. And the contradictions were not long in coming. Already in March 1946, Winston Churchill openly declared the state of affairs in his famous speech in Fulton.
Different views of recent allies on how to restore post-war Germany have predetermined a cardinal difference in the processes taking place in the east and west of the country. So, for example, in the Soviet zone they were extremely principled about the process of denazification, that is, the identification and removal from office (or extradition to the court, if necessary) of persons who stained themselves by participating in the crimes of the Hitler regime. In the West, personnel qualifications were more valued, so former criminals often calmly continued to cooperate with the authorities, "repainting" their own positions. Of course, there were differences in those versions of the political and economic system that the socialists and capitalists built. Both systems tried to impose controlled puppet governments on their territories. It is not surprising that very soon mutual questions and claims matured, resulting in two consecutive Berlin crises of 1948 and 1961. As a result of the First Crisis, two independent states were formed: the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany. As a result of the Second Berlin Crisis , the construction of the Berlin Wall was completely carried out.
The year 1961 was marked by the ultimatum of N. Khrushchev to the American authorities, according to which those should immediately withdraw their troops from
West Berlin. The Soviets did this a long time ago, leaving, however, a friendly socialist government. However, for the United States, the withdrawal of formations meant that all of Berlin could end up in the GDR zone. A series of unsuccessful negotiations, as well as the fact that the Germans massively migrated from the eastern part of the city to the western, forced the Soviet leadership to raise the question of literal enclosure. The construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 marked the final division of the country, firmly linking the hope of restoration with the final outcome of the
Cold War in anyone's favor. And so it happened: the wall lasted until the time when the socialist camp seriously staggered under the pressure of external pressure and internal contradictions. The destruction of the Berlin Wall took place in November 1989.