November often seems like a month for military. Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11. This day is called Remembrance Day in other countries, and it not just honors our veterans, but it also commemorates the end of World War I. The United States Marine Corps celebrates its birthday on November 10. Since 2001, the United States has celebrated World Freedom Day on November 9. This is the day that the Berlin Wall came down, marking the end of the Cold War. So why is this so historically significant?
What Was the Berlin Wall?
The Berlin Wall was a physical barrier built to stop Eastern Germans from emigrating to the west through the city of Berlin. Ideologically, West and East Berlin had been separate for many years. Following World War II, one side of the city was governed by a Communist government. The other held to a capitalist, western point of view. People who went between the cities made comparisons. The eastern part of the city was losing citizens, many of them were well-educated and young.
Although East Germany closed the border, people still tried to defect to the west. In 1961, the government began building the actual wall, which asserted its control and stemmed the exodus of people into the west. The wall actually went through four different versions, beginning as wire fence and concrete, until its last evolution, known as “Stützwandelement UL 12.11” or the fourth-generation wall. It was the most sophisticated version with provisions added to prevent people from driving their car through the barricade.
Leaving East Berlin through legal channels or illegal ones meant that you were separated from your family—potentially forever. There were no guarantees about being allowed to go back and forth between the two cities. Many did escape but were unable to bring their entire family with them. Some were killed in the process of crossing the wall. Guards were ordered to shoot defectors. In 1989, after many days of political unrest, the wall officially came down and travel was permitted between the two cities of East and West Berlin.
Understanding This Oppression
Many younger Americans who were born after the wall came down do not understand the paranoia and division it caused. Hollywood has made many movies concerning East and West Berlin and the difficulties of making a border crossing. Here are just a few good movies that can help you understand the era:
- Strangelove (1964)
- Seven Days in May (1964)
- The Atomic Café (1982)
- The Debt (2010)
- The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Tearing Down the Wall
When the Berlin Wall came down, it reunited a country that had been torn apart by ideologies. World Freedom Day was a tribute to peace and reunification. President Ronald Reagan is credited with being an instrumental personality in bringing unity to Germany, but Margaret Thatcher was another figure in the political climate who worked with Reagan to bring down the Communist Regime. Pope John Paul II worked hard in Eastern European countries to help them believe that liberty from Soviet Communism was possible. No one person was completely responsible for the wall coming down. It took many leaders around the world to bring about the change.
Tearing down the wall was a pivotal moment not just in Europe, but around the world. It meant that unification was possible. Germany was reunified the following year, now working under one government for all its states and cities. Only three short sections of the wall remain standing, but those portions in no way represent the actual wall. Most of the wall was torn apart for souvenirs and museum pieces as a reminder of this historical era. Take a few moments on World Freedom Day November 9 and be thankful for the freedom to move freely in America.