Berlin Wall Research Paper

Separated, divided, isolated, open, lively, free. All of these words describe the rise and fall of The Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall was built on August 13th 1961 in Berlin, Germany and came tumbling down on November 9th 1989. It wasn’t just bricks that were stripped away from Germany when it came down, it was years of separation and history. The structure and design spread fear throughout Germany, with obstacles attached on each mile to prevent people from crossing. Of course The Wall frightened most Germans, but not even a large concrete Wall can separate the hearts of families spread across East and West Berlin. The electrified barbed wire, death strips, and chilling concrete barriers ran through the hearts of East and West Berlin. The people

Hungary is one of the countries that is very close to Germany, so they decided to take action during The Berlin Walls time. Many refugees from East Berlin needed a place to go to escape their awful lives when The Wall came up, and Hungary was an option. So, Hungary wanted to help these Germans, and by doing so they opened their borders with Austria to allow desperate Germans to enter. In other words, In 1989 Hungary allowed East Germany refugees to enter their country by opening their borders with Austria. Before this visas were required to enter. This created the largest single group to leave Germany, with 30,000 people (How Did the Fall). The people of Germany who were suffering because of the wall now had hope to safely leave their current living conditions, and begin again without fear of separation or death. Lives were changed for the better, and people could legally travel, unlike East and West Berlin. America was also one of the countries that changed after The Wall, public opinion of many things, but mainly Germany and politics. Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy both served as President Of The United States in their lives, so their opinions in America were very important. Both presidents were in office while the Berlin Wall was up, so they were able to discuss it to the public. Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy were two American presidents who publicly stated their opinion on the Berlin Wall, Kennedy saying “I am a Berliner” and Ronald Reagan declaring, “Tear down this wall!” (Brown). Furthermore, when a president speaks publicly about a very important issue, peoples opinions on it can be persuaded and changed. Also, Ronald Reagan gave his speech in front of the wall, which adds an even bigger impact on the opinion of it. Americans listened to their leaders stand up against The Wall, so it was more common to dislike it than support it. Although opinions on Germany shifted,