The Fall of the Berlin Wall and the Disintegration of the Soviet Union

954 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Communism vs capitalism comparison

Communism is defined as a political and economical doctrine, the aim which is to abolish private ownership of property and for-profit enterprise and to replace these with public ownership and control of industry, agriculture, and resources (“Communism”). The product of this government is supposed to be a society free of class ranking based on wealth, property, and political power. The Soviet Union was the first country to test these governmental strategies and it did not take long for the regime to collapse. The inevitable collapse of communism led to the fall of the Berlin Wall; this started the domino effect of freedom that ultimately led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

On Sunday, August 13th, in 1962 the Eastern German government began construction of the Berlin Wall (“Berlin Wall”). The Berlin Wall was built to divide the post World War II communist ran East Germany with the democratic West Germany. On that day families in Berlin were awaken to military machinery, barbed wire coils, and armed guards. The families that had crossed the newly made border the night before to visit friends and/or family were greeted to a wall and closed transit systems (“Berlin Wall”). For them this meant they were no longer going to be able to go home and be with their family however long this division of the country would last. As the day went on some government officials in East Germany feared that the citizens would start an uprising. However, contrary to their fears the streets of East Berlin stayed eerily quiet. Almost thirty years after that day the wall still separated friends and family only miles away. The wall was a physical division between the two superpowers of the time: the East controlled by the communist regime in the Soviet ...

... middle of paper ...

... Web. 30 Mar. 2014.

"Communism." Gale Student Resources in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Student Resources in Context. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.

"The fall of the Berlin Wall: 1989." Global Events, 2013. N.p.: n.p., 2013. N. pag. Gale Student Resources. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.

"The Fall of the Soviet Union." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. History: War. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Student Resources in Context. Web. 6 Apr. 2014.

Hoeppler, Christopher. "Russian Demographics: The Role of the Collapse of the Soviet Union." Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences 10 (2011): n. pag. Print.

"Reagan Quotes." American Experience. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.

"The Soviet Union Falls: December 26, 1991." Global Events: Milestone Events Throughout History. Ed. Jennifer Stock. Vol. 2: Asia and Oceania. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2013. Student Resources in Context. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • Autonomy and Political Responsibility after the Cold War

    2605 Words  | 6 Pages

    Berlin Wall gives a brief over-view of the Berlin Wall, its history and its fall. Provides many useful links to several other sites which offer a more in depth exploration of the circumstances surrounding the fall of the Berlin Wall. This is a vital link for gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the role of the seperation of East and West Germany and the Berlin Wall itself during the Cold War era.

    Read More

  • Berlin Wall Dbq

    1178 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the year 1961, the building of Berlin Wall called upon disasters in Germany. United States controlled the west of Berlin while German Democratic Republic held the East. Being stuck under the rule of day to day terror, people from East Berlin were making their way to the West Berlin. West Berlin was a safe spot and freedom checkpoint in the middle of terror. To stop the moving of East Berliners, the East German government decided to build a barrier that limited and halted the East Berliners from leaving. But the battle to control Berlin between, the United States and the Soviet Union, had been taking place since after the division of Germany. The German Democratic Republic wanted better control over its people to spread its communist ideas

    Read More

  • Sputnik's Effects

    1414 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Web. 16 Feb. 2014 "Soviet Union (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). " International Military and Defense Encyclopedia. Ed. Trevor N. Dupuy, a.k.a.

    Read More

  • Nationalism During the Space Race

    908 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gregory, Ross. Cold War America: 1946 to 1990. New York, NY: Facts on File, 2003.

    Read More

  • The Fall of the Berlin Wall and Communism in Europe

    1812 Words  | 4 Pages

    Taylor, Frederick. "The Berlin Wall: A Secret History." History Today Feb. 2007: 43-49.SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 20 Feb. 2012.

    Read More

  • A Brief History of the Berlin Wall

    881 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Fall of the Berlin Wall: Need To Know." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 2 Apr. 2014.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Fall Of The Berlin Wall

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    The end of World War II was the beginning of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States. The Soviet Union had control over East Berlin, which was governed by a communist government and the United States had control over West Berlin, which was regulated by a democratic government. Both countries wanted full control over Berlin, so the Soviet Union set up a blockade on the West but was unsuccessful. The Berlin Wall was then built to stabilize the economy of East Berlin, which meant that fewer people could escape the east to live in the west. In the article “The fall of the Berlin Wall: what it meant to be there,” by Timothy Garton Ash, he highlights the feelings of no longer having a “iron curtain” segregating both sides of Berlin.

    Read More

  • The Rise and Fall of Communism

    1475 Words  | 3 Pages

    Johnson, Ileana. “Why Has Communism Failed?” Orthodox Net Blog. 14 Oct. 2010. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. www.orthodoxytoday.org/blog/2010/10/why-has-communism-failed/.

    Read More

  • A Wall In-Between

    1223 Words  | 3 Pages

    Taylor, Frederick. "The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 13 Nov. 2008. Web. 02 Apr. 2012.

    Read More

  • Significance Of The Berlin Wall

    2168 Words  | 5 Pages

    In conclusion Berlin Wall was an important milestone in the growth of the Cold War. It was the expansion that represented the thinking of a determined Communist system. Western Capitalism, which was more powerful, eventually defeated the system. The massive wall that did so much harm to a country was finally destroyed, and the people of Germany could now live the way they all wanted to live. They could live the life of freedom. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall East Germany has went through a lot of changes, and it still is not easy for all of the people in East Germany. But no matter how hard it is for the people of East Germany now, it is better than being alone and separated from their families, friends and rest of Europe.

    Read More

  • Social Effects of the Berlin Wall

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    Outline THESIS: From research and historical analysts, we can conclude that in many cases the people of Germany have been affected socially and economically by the building and construction of the Berlin Wall. & nbsp ; & nbsp ; & nbsp ; & nbsp ; & nbsp ; I. Background        A. Beginning construction        B. Closing borders        C. Pre-Berlin Wall     II. History        A. Cold War        B. World War II        C. Economy      III. Post- Berlin Wall effects       A. Economic examples        B. Political examples & nbsp;& nbsp;& nbsp;& nbsp;& nbsp;Conclusion In the last fifty years the German Democratic Republic has been a nonstop changing country.

    Read More

  • The cold war

    2042 Words  | 5 Pages

    Lafeber, W. (2002), America, Russia, and the Cold War, 1945-2000. 9th edn. New-York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

    Read More

  • The Collapse of the Soviet Union

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Soviet Union, which was once a world superpower in the 19th century saw itself in chaos going into the 20th century. These chaoses were marked by the new ideas brought in by the new leaders who had emerged eventually into power. Almost every aspect of the Soviet Union was crumbling at this period both politically and socially, as well as the economy. There were underlying reasons for the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and eventually Eastern Europe. The economy is the most significant aspect of every government. The soviet economy was highly centralized with a “command economy” (p.1. fsmitha.com), which had been broken down due to its complexity and centrally controlled with corruption involved in it. A strong government needs a strong economy to maintain its power and influence, but in this case the economic planning of the Soviet Union was just not working, which had an influence in other communist nations in Eastern Europe as they declined to collapse.

    Read More

  • Collapse Of The Berlin Wall Essay

    1188 Words  | 3 Pages

    The collapse of the Berlin Wall changed Western Europe as we know it today. The Iron Curtain, which had split Europe, had ascended and the once divided Germans were reunited under one common nation. The causal factors which resulted in the fall of the Berlin Wall were internal — communism imploded upon itself—. Gorbachev attempted to reform communism through Glasnost and Perestroika, which were supposed to incorporate economic reforms and transparency, however, history illustrates that increased liberty is incompatible with communism. Dr. Schmidtke argued that structural deficiencies led along with poor economic growth which led to the collapse of communism in Europe, and consequently the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Masters of War, by Bob Dylan

    2172 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...E. The Cold War: The United States and the Soviet Union, 1917-1991. New York: Oxford UP, 1998. Print.

    Read More

More about The Fall of the Berlin Wall and the Disintegration of the Soviet Union

Open Document