How was life different on each side of the Berlin Wall?

Life on either side of the wall was very different. West Germany was thriving economically, and West Berlin was no exception. Theaters, zoos, museums, shops and nightclubs lined the main streets. East Berlin was a typical communist city.

How was East and West Germany physically divided?

Physically separate from the more famous Berlin Wall, the Inner German border was nearly 1,400km long and divided East and West Germany from 1949, when the Soviets established East Germany, until the border fortifications started to topple down in 1989.

Did the Berlin Wall surround all of West Berlin?

The finished wall was made up of a 66 mile concrete section that was 3.6 metres high, with a further 41 miles of barbed wire fencing and more than 300 manned look-out towers. It did not just go through the centre of the city – it completely encircled all of West Berlin, which was surrounded by the communist GDR.

What did the Berlin Wall divide?

listen)) was a guarded concrete barrier that physically and ideologically divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989. Construction of the wall was commenced by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) on 13 August 1961. The Wall cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany, including East Berlin.

How did the people of West Berlin deal with the wall?

Over the years, the West Berlin learned to live with the Wall, painting it with colourful graffiti and accepting it as just a part of everyday life in a divided city. After the currency reform of 1948, Soviet troops sealed off West Berlin in a bid to secure economic and thus political control over all of Berlin.

What led to the reunification of East and West Germany?

• The success of West Germany on the economic front led to a revolution in East Germany where people protested against communist policies. • The pressure of the public became intense in 1989 that led to the fall of the Berlin wall and finally the two Germanys united again after 45 years.

What was the relationship between East Germany and West Germany?

In reality, the creation of East Germany added to the number of satellite states for the communist Soviet Union in Europe, particularly Eastern Europe. West Germany. West Germany was a new state created with the merger of the zones occupied by the US, British, and French forces in May 1949.

Why was West Berlin not part of Germany until 1990?

Even if West Berlin’s Senate took care of day-to-day business for the partial from 1950, West Berlin retained a special political status until German reunification in 1990 because technically, West Berlin was not a part of any state.