The Significance of the Berlin Wall and the Consequences of its Breakdown

This research paper utilizes secondary sources of information to investigate the significance of the Berlin wall and the impacts of its breakdown. The Significance of the Berlin Wall The Political differences between East and West Germany were the main reason for the construction of the Berlin Wall. After the War, East Germany adopted a communist administration policy whereas the West was more liberal and democratic. Interestingly, most of the residents of East Germany were hugely dissatisfied making most of them prefer living in the West. Before its construction, almost 3 million Germans had migrated from the East to flee the authoritarian rule (History. Unsurprisingly, the war was mostly unpopular among many world leaders. America for instance always championed for the deconstruction of the wall.

Former president John F Kennedy voiced his outrage in his famous "bin ein Berlin" Speech. President Reagan's fiery speech was a significant catalyst for the demolition of the wall. Enrich Honecker who was in charge of East Germany eventually lost the support of Gorbachev, the leader of the Soviet Union, which ultimately led him to resign. With time, however, the economy in the former communist side of Germany improved. The event of the demolition of the Berlin wall was a huge factor that led to the collapse of the Cold War (Hallam, 2015). Indeed for almost 30 years, the structure was a symbol for disunity in Europe since the East was the epitome of communism and dictatorship while the West was the symbol of democracy.

European countries were on both sides of the divide, with those in support of the Soviet Union adopting the leadership style of the East with the rest of the countries choosing the liberty of democracy. It is therefore unsurprising that the demolition of the wall served as the marker for the ultimate culmination of the Cold War. The effects the collapse of the wall had in South Africa were also noteworthy. The West placed more emphasis on ending apartheid in South Africa, this leading to the release of Nelson Mandela, who was one of the most Iconic African leaders, from prison. On the other hand, countries such as Zaire which had enjoyed the support of the Soviet Union crumbled into civil wars when the support was lost (Rosenberg, 2017).