germany homework

Context of The Berlin Wall

• Conclusion of WW2, Germany was split in two (East and West Germany)
• Western side was assisted by UK and US
• Eastern Side was assisted by Soviet Union
• Berlin was divided into East and West Berlin 
• Many people began escaping from the East side to the West because of the worsening conditions.
• In August 1961, the East Germans ordered that the border between East and West Germany was closed
• This included cutting the city in half and erecting a border between the two.
• First a temporary barbwire fence was put up
• Families were no longer able to visit relatives on the other side
• Some East Berliners were cut off from their jobs on the West Berlin side.
• They then erected a permanent wall made of concrete, which was known The Berlin Wall
• 87 mile long structure, featuring 116 watch towers, dogs, chain link fences, barbwire, and trenches to stop vehicles from driving across, also included a secondary wall on the East Berlin Side
• There were several checkpoints where people would cross, including the famous 'Checkpoint Charlie"
• It stood for 26 years but in the 1980s it started to get criticised, with Ronald Reagan, The President of America, stating 'Tear Down This Wall'
• This caused many Eastern Germans to protest against the wall and knock it down by hand.

What was life like? 

• There was a lot of surveillance, with many people living double lives.
• Poverty was a big problem at this time with people only managing to afford the necessities in life
• People tried to sneak through the wall but they would be very fortunate to succeed

What did young people listen to/do for fun?

• Music was heavily censored in East Germany, as authorities would carefully review lyrics for any hints of dissent, and ban a band if they found any. Bands were also only allowed to sing in German. Needless to say, the youth began clamoring for bands from abroad, and a black market developed of copies of western artists’ music and bootlegs of it.

What was Education like?

• Schools in East Germany were not just educational centres in the narrow sense of the word. Beside regular classes, they also organised ’pioneer afternoons’ with different themes. On some, kids could bring their pets. On others, they would be talking about holidays. They also spent many a pioneer afternoon playing outside in the forest. The pioneer activities served as the first preparation for children to become ’good socialists’. On special occasions like the first of May, they wore scouting-like uniforms that were different for each age group. They remember wearing a white shirt and a blue tie, which belonged to the youngest pioneers. The next higher group, ’Thälmann-pioneers’ had white shirt and red ties.”

Why did people want to escape?

• Poverty
• Worsening Conditions
• Regional Inequalities still exist, leaving the East behind the West with higher unemployment and poverty rates, population decline, and scarcity of large companies. Unemployment in the former West Germany is at 5.6%, whereas in the former East Germany it is above 9%.

Was it all bad?

• Many people hadn't done anything in their life that interested the Stasi, many people woke up, went to work, came home, ate, drank, and slept like anybody else.