Germany was where the Cold War was most concentrated, and Berlin — a divided city deep inside the communist East — was its sharpest flashpoint. The Wall that split it became the defining image of a divided continent.
From occupation zones to two states
Defeated Germany was divided into four occupation zones. As the Cold War hardened, the three Western zones merged to become the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) in 1949, and the Soviet zone became the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). Berlin, though deep inside the East, was itself split into Western and Soviet sectors.
A tale of two states
The two Germanys became a living contrast between the rival systems: West Germany's social-market Wirtschaftswunder ("economic miracle") and liberal democracy against East Germany's command economy and one-party socialist state. The contrast was visible, and people voted with their feet.
The Berlin Wall (1961)
Through the 1950s, millions fled west through Berlin — a haemorrhage of skilled workers that embarrassed and weakened the GDR. In 1961 the East built the Berlin Wall to seal the border. It stopped the exodus, but at the cost of becoming the world's most potent symbol of communist coercion — a regime that had to wall its own people in.
Let's tabulate the contrast between the two Germanys, then analyse the Wall.
| Feature | West Germany (FRG) | East Germany (GDR) |
|---|---|---|
| Politics | Liberal democracy | One-party socialist state |
| Economy | Social-market "economic miracle" | Command economy |
| Alignment | NATO / the West | Warsaw Pact / the USSR |
Discuss: in what sense did the Berlin Wall both succeed and fail for the East German regime?
Q1. Name the two German states created in 1949 and the bloc each belonged to.
Q2. Explain why the East German regime built the Berlin Wall in 1961.
Q3. "The Berlin Wall was a sign of communist strength." To what extent do you agree? Support your answer with evidence.