Construction of the Berlin Wall: why it happened

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Construction of the Berlin Wall was a symbol not only of the division of the German nation - an event marked the materialization of the "iron curtain" on the continent and throughout the world.Wall became demonstrative boundary between two opposing world systems: on military posts, barbed wire, watchtowers and other relevant attributes of the Cold War.

Construction of the Berlin Wall: symbol of global division

Foundation in its construction was laid in the final phase of World War II.The mere fact that the allied forces - the Soviet Union on the one hand, and the United States to Britain - the other came to Germany at the same time, the construction of the Berlin Wall predestined future.Germany after signing the capitulation been separated into so-called zones of occupation, divided between allies and already marked France.Actually, the city of Berlin was cut into three parts.After all, in spite of the alliance built on opposition to the Nazi regime (which was simply impossible to coexist), the relationship of the Soviet leadership with Western countries were not cloudless.These contradictions somehow had to swim after the overall victory.Mutual mistrust and simultaneous occurrence in Germany has led to the fact that the country was divided into four zones, each of the victors in their own way to control the process of post-war reconstruction and denazification.And the contradictions do not have to wait long.Already in March 1946, Winston Churchill spoke openly about the situation in his famous speech in Fulton.

Construction of the Berlin Wall: how it was

Different representations recent allies about how to rebuild post-war Germany, determined the radical difference of the processes in the east and west of the country.For example, in the Soviet zone very principle refers to the process of denazification, that is the identification and removal from office (or issuance of the court, if necessary) persons stained themselves participation in the crimes of the Hitler regime.In the West, more valued personnel qualifications, so ex-offenders often quietly continued to cooperate with the authorities, "repainted" own positions.Of course, there were differences in cases of political and economic systems that were built socialists and capitalists.Both tried to impose on their territories controlled puppet government.It is no wonder that very soon matured reciprocal claims and questions that had led to two consecutive Berlin crisis in 1948 and 1961.As a result of the first crisis was formed by two independent states: East and West Germany.As a result of the Second Berlin crisis altogether realized the construction of the Berlin Wall.

year 1961 marked the first ultimatum to Khrushchev to US authorities, according to which the order should immediate withdraw their troops from West Berlin.Tips for a long time it did, leaving however, the friendly socialist government.However, for the withdrawal of US forces meant that the whole of Berlin could be in the area of ​​the GDR.A series of unsuccessful negotiations, and the fact that the Germans have migrated en masse from the eastern to the western part of the city, forced the Soviet leadership to put the question of literal Enclosure.Construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 marked the final division of the country, is strongly linked with the hope of restoring the final outcome of the Cold War in someone's favor.And so it happened: the wall lasted until the time when the socialist camp seriously faltered under the pressure of external pressure and internal contradictions.The destruction of the Berlin Wall in November 1989.