The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall
"An Iron Curtain has descended across the continent. Behind that line lie all of the capitals of the ancient states of central and eastern Europe . . . all these famous cities and populations around lie in the Soviet sphere and all are subject . . . to a very high and increasing measure of control from Moscow." With this section of Winston Churchill's famous speech in 1946 at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, he coined the term "Iron Curtain." Most people believe that Winston Churchill was referring directly to the Berlin Wall, but he was actually talking about the general closing off of Soviet satellite countries in Eastern Europe. Even though the wall itself was not built until 1961, the Berlin Wall was the enduring symbol of that "Iron Curtain." Understanding the reason for its construction, the heartache it caused, and the joy over its fall helps modern students relate to its symbolic role as an "Iron Curtain" (Rise). The Berlin Wall was erected for one main reason: to keep East Berliners from escaping to West Berlin. After WWII, Berlin, the capital of Germany, was a ruined city. The WWII victors, the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union, divided Germany and Berlin in four sectors, each c
At last, the most hated symbol of communism was gone (Brewster 223). Therefore, many East Berliners escaped the harsh treatment by fleeing to the West. After the Berlin Wall's erection, living with it was not an easy task. Soon after, other borders opened, and in that night the deadly border was opened by East Berliners in every way, but peacefully (Burkhardt). On the West, people put up billboards and painted slogans to put capitalist ideas in East German's minds. As a result, West Germans would hold their babies above the wall for relatives to see. For this reason, most families didn't get to say good-bye because it was built at night while most Germans were asleep. They demanded to open the border and at 10:30 P. Gorbatshov reformed the stalinistic system, but didn't replace the communist system completely. On August 23, 1989 Hungary opened the "iron curtain" to Austria. The allies decided they needed to do something. He answered that it comes into effect immediately. ontrolled by one of the four countries.
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Acceptance Essays
