“Antifascist Bulwark” What an absurd name. That was what East Germany called the Berlin Wall. Of course, it was anything but. It was a prison wall. Now you stand before a remaining section of that very wall.
The Berlin Wall’s story is one of division and resilience. After World War II, Germany was split. The Soviet Union took the east. The United States, Great Britain, and France controlled the west. Berlin, though in the Soviet zone, was similarly divided.
Imagine West Berlin, a capitalist island in communist East Germany. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev called it a bone in the Soviet throat. The Soviets tried to starve West Berlin with a blockade in 1948. But the Americans and their allies supplied the city by air. This was the Berlin Airlift. For over a year, they delivered food, fuel, and everything else needed. The Soviets lifted the blockade in 1949.
Still, people fled East Germany for the West. By 1961, nearly three million had left. Many were young skilled workers like doctors and engineers. The East German government needed to stop the exodus.
On August 13, 1961, they began building the Berlin Wall. At first, it was barbed wire. Soon, it became a concrete wall. It physically divided Berlin. Before the wall, Berliners moved freely between East and West. They crossed the border to work, shop, and go to the movies. Trains and subways carried them back and forth. After the wall, that all stopped.
Crossing was only allowed through checkpoints. Checkpoint Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie were the most famous. East German soldiers screened everyone. Few were allowed to cross.
The Berlin Wall stopped the flow of refugees. President John F. Kennedy said a wall is a hell of a lot better than a war. In 1963, he famously declared “Ich bin ein Berliner” showing his support for the city.
Still, people tried to escape. Over 5,000 East Germans succeeded. They jumped out of windows, climbed over barbed wire and flew in hot air balloons. They crawled through sewers and drove through the wall. But at least 171 people died trying to cross the Berlin Wall.
In 1989, the Cold War thawed. On November 9, an East German official mistakenly announced new border crossing policies. When asked when they would take effect, he said, “Immediately, without delay.”
East Berliners rushed to the wall. Guards opened the gates. West Berliners greeted them with flowers and champagne. People chipped away at the wall with hammers and picks. They became known as “wall woodpeckers”. Cranes and bulldozers pulled down sections. Berlin was united again.
The reunification of East and West Germany was official on October 3, 1990. It was almost a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
This piece of the Berlin Wall you see stands as a reminder. It reminds us of division, oppression, and the yearning for freedom. It is a symbol of hope. It shows us that walls can fall.