The Berlin Wall

General Knowledge

The Berlin Wall is a wall that was built on Sunday- August,13th 1961 and fell on November 9, 1989.

A democratic BRD was established, in the three western zones, while also in the Soviet zone, a state, called the GDR, was established. The GDR was based on communism and dictatorship.

The wall was built to separate East Berlin and West Berlin, so that the East German population was trapped in the communist GDR so that they could not flee to the West. This was to be done on the basis of preventing West Berlin from becoming richer and from gaining more rule and power.

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Analyze

After World War II, the rest of Germany was divided into four zones. The French, British and American zones, which formed the Western Allies, while the Soviet zone had to stand alone in the East.

In 1949, a democratic BRD was established, in the three western zones, while also in the Soviet zone, a state, called the GDR, was established. The GDR was based on communism and dictatorship.

Not very long after, there were problems with the cooperation between the GDR and the BRD-(The West). One of the problems was among other with the introduction of the D-Mark in the western part of Berlin (the D-Mark was a currency). This did not please the Soviet Union, and it created an enmity between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union. Some time later, it was decided that a wall should be built to separate East Berlin from West Berlin. This was to be done on the basis that many young and well-educated people fled from East Berlin to West Berlin. This was an advantage for West Berlin, as it only made them richer, but not for East Berlin, as they already did not have as good an economy as West Berlin.

On Sunday, August 13, 1961, East German workers, sharply guarded by soldiers, began to block the border between East Berlin and West Berlin. The wall consisted of two walls partly of concrete and partly of house walls.

At the beginning of the life of the Berlin Wall, one could wave to relatives over the wall. Since then, it became difficult due to distance and problems in maintaining the close relationships. The Berlin Wall separated families, friends and colleagues who were now prevented from having contact with each other. Even after the construction of the wall, many people tried to escape, despite the fact that the wall was sharply guarded and that the border guards from 1971 had orders to shoot everyone who tried to escape. The number of people killed during the escape attempt is unknown, but is probably over 200.

After the Cuba crisis in 1962, the United States and the Soviet Union became more vocal, and agreements were reached to limit the number of nuclear weapons. Yet there continued to be conflicts between the two superpowers. Now most things happened outside of Europe.

In 1989, massive protests spread throughout communist Eastern Europe. The very concrete rupture of the Iron Curtain between Eastern and Western Europe took place in September 1989, when the Hungarian government had opened the border with Austria to the East Germans. East German refugees could now come to Austria via Hungary and from there on to other western countries. The opening of the border triggered a mass exodus from East Germany, which made the GDR’s position as a state unsustainable, and thus caused other East Germans to demonstrate in order to have greater freedom and better living conditions. They were looking for a life where what they could see on television was happening in West Germany. Dissatisfaction and protests increased, and it was only a matter of time before the East German system would collapse. This finally happened on November 9, 1989.

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Perspectivation

If you put the Berlin Wall in perspective with North Korea, it is very reminiscent of Berlin, because they had the Berlin Wall, which divided the city in two, where today North Korea is a very closed country. It is very difficult to get in and out. In a way, North Korea and Berlin are similar as they both followed and follow the dictatorship ideology.

In many ways, North Korea and East Berlin are reminiscent of each other during the time of the Berlin Wall, as both places were shielded from the outside world and closely monitored. Fortunately, this is not how Berlin looks anymore, while North Korea is still a closed country today.

Conclusion

From my analysis, I can conclude that the Berlin Wall was built on the basis of being able to separate East Berlin from West Berlin and that the wall had the significance for the people of East and West Berlin that they were separated from their families and friends. The fall of the Berlin Wall was called the symbolic end of the Cold War, due to there were no more conflicts and about 200 people died in the attempt to escape from East Berlin.

Quiz

Try out this Quiz if you want to know, how much information you now know about The Berlin Wall!

5
Created on

The Berlin Wall-The Cold War

1 / 7

When was the Berlin Wall built?

2 / 7

What was the Soviet Union called?

3 / 7

How many zones was the rest of Germany divided into, after World War II?

4 / 7

When was the border guards ordered to shoot everyone who tried to escape?

5 / 7

When did massive protests spread throughout communist Eastern Europe?

6 / 7

When did the very concrete rupture of the Iron Curtain between Eastern and Western Europe take place?

7 / 7

Dissatisfaction and protests increased, and it was only a matter of time before the East German system would collapse.  When did this finally happen?

Your score is

The average score is 77%

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Turkey: one of top 10 most visited countries #6

Turkey(46 million)

The fact that Turkey is extremely visited, is not really that a surprise. Even among Danes, it has been a popular travel destination for many years although relatively far away.

The coastal areas of the country attract people, as there is good weather most of the year, nice swimming pools, many good hotels and tasty and different food that people are used to. The capital Ankara and Istanbul (culturally) are recommended.

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Italy: one of top 10 most visited countries #5

Italy (62 million)

Italy is a perfect place to visit if you want to experience la dolce vita (The sweet life). The language sounds beautiful, the weather is really nice, and also the prices are cheaper than in Northern Europe.

Rome ranks fifth place due to the formidable history that the city has, but let’s not forget cities like Milanknown for fashion, Florenceart, Turin industry+sport and Naplesgastronomy.

There are also many beautiful coastal areas of Italy. Here they especially recommend Liguria, which with a temperate climate and beautiful beaches is the best region for a quiet holiday.

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China: one of top 10 most visited countries #4

China (63 million)

China is the world’s fourth most visited country. It seems to be like that as the country is large and has many connections to other Asian countries.

You can experience different kinds of historic cities such as Beijing, modern cities as Shanghai, or you can simply just see sights such as the Great Wall of China or go ahead the mountains.

Many tourists think that there are many opportunities and no matter what part of China you visit, you will be impressed.

Airline tickets are expensive, and that is the biggest problem for travelers.

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USA: one of top 10 most visited countries #3

USA (80 million)

The USA is a huge country. The fact that it is far away from Europe, it is still a country that Danes prefer to visit and so do other people from the world. Therefore, the United States ranks the third place among the “World’s most visited countries”

As the countries most popular city is New York. Nearby New York there are also other northeastern cities, such as Boston, Philadelphia, and Washinton.

Florida’s Miami and Orlando are also visited by huge numbers of tourists. California continues to be a popular destination, because of the culture of cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Many people choose to combine a little part of each, by taking a trip on a major journey through the United States.

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Spain: one of top 10 most visited countries #2

Spain (83 million)

Spain is known for sunshine, festivities, and interesting culture. Whether it is the sunny coast, the white coast, or the green coast, Spain has for decades been a favorite destination for beach-loving tourists.

There are interesting big cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia. Go and explore Spain, just as 83 million other people do every year, and you will surely be impressed.

Visiting one of the more unknown destinations, such as on the north coast, can clearly be recommended.

Spain is known for sunshine, festivities, and interesting culture.
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France: one of top 10 most visited countries #1

Let’s go through the list of countries that can inspire you for future holiday plans. When a country is popular with tourists, there is usually a reason for it as well. Below are the 10 most popular countries in the world.

France (89 millions)

At this point, France is running with the title of most visitors. Paris is also one of the most visited cities, which isn’t a surprise for people who have been there. Paris is always full of tourists, but with many nice places to stay, as well as many interesting things to see.

But France has much more than Paris to see. Most people especially love the French Riviera, the south coast. Nice and Cannes are a couple of excellent destinations as well as Lyon, Saint-Étienne, and Toulouse. In total, France receives 89 million tourists, which is a world record.

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