Division of Berlin/ Berlin Wall
By: Rebecca Brotons and Christian Roberts
Division of Berlin
● After World War 2, the allied powers were
divided, as well as Berlin, the capital of
Germany.
● East was communist, West was a democracy
● West Germany had a fast growing economy,
while East Germany had a slow economy
and the people did not have many freedoms
● East German citizens wanted out
Construction of the Wall
● Citizens from East
Germany were fleeing to
West Germany because
they did not like
communism.
● West Germany was
Democratic
● This was devastating to
the economy.
Construction Part 2.
● Many of the refugees were skilled
laborers
● The economy was almost in turmoil
● The soldiers first layed 30 miles down of
barbed wire
● Eventually, they constructed a huge wall
separating East and West Germany
What Purpose it Served
● To keep Western “fascists” from entering
Germany
● In fear that these “ fascists” would try
undermining the socialist state
● Stemming mass defections from East to
West
Tearing Down the Wall Part 1
● In 1989, East Germany announced that
their citizens could migrate elsewhere
● There wasn’t an official announcement,
so the guards did not let them through
and did not know what to do
● It took about 2 days before something
happened
Tearing down the Wall, Part 2
● On November 9,1989 East
Germany announced the
borders were open.
● Local civilians teared
down the wall piece by
piece
● Some even kept pieces as
collectibles
Why East Germany allowed the
wall to be destroyed
● In 1989, there were several political
unrests.
● It liberalized erosion of pro-soviets in
power
● After a couple weeks of political unrest,
East Germany allowed the walls to be
broken down.
Decisions
We believe that the correct decision was
made in destroying the wall. The East
German citizens were forced to live there,
and had no escape. It was very symbolic
that it was the people of East Germany who
got to destroy the wall.
Citations
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Grabianowski, Ed. N.p.. Web. 12 Mar 2014. <http://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/berlinwall6.htm>.
Fred, Kaplan. N.p.. Web. 11 Mar 2014. <http://www.slate.
com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/2009/11/why_berlin_mattered.html>.
A&E Television Networks, . N.p.. Web. 11 Mar 2014. <http://www.history.com/this-day-inhistory/berlin-wall-built>.
Staff, History.com. "Berlin Wall." History.com. A E Networks, n.d. Web. 11 Mar 2014. <http://www.
history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-wall>.
Rosenberg, J.. N.p.. Web. 11 Mar 2014. <http://history1900s.about.com/od/coldwa1/a/berlinwall.htm>.
Marilyn, T.. N.p.. Web. 12 Mar 2014. <http://voiceseducation.org/content/berlin-wall-poetry-wall>.
Cohen, Lizabeth, Thomas A. Bailey, and David M. Kennedy. The American Pageant. Thirtenth Edition.
Boston, New York : Houghton Mifflin Company , 2006. Print.