The Importance of East Germany in the Cold War

by gkjohn (student)

The Berlin Crisis of East Germany was a defining period of the Cold War, during which both superpowers fought for control over the most highly contested nation in Europe. It can be seen that the major factor in this crisis was the division of Germany into two sectors; East and West Germany and the subsequent attempts by the two superpowers to control both. Following the rapid spread of the Soviet grip over Europe, it was in the interests of the USSR to gain control of Germany in its entirety; that is East and West Germany. Their interests were parallel to the desires of Capitalist America which also sought a degree of control over Germany. This resulted in the divisions of Berlin becoming the ground on which the Communist-Capitalist struggle was most profound and the region over which control would seemingly determine the outcome of the Cold War. Another important factor was the Berlin Blockade and the subsequent Berlin Airlift which was a turning point in Soviet control over East Germany. With the shift in Soviet control over East Germany, so too, came the shift in Soviet control over the Cold War.

The Cold War was a twentieth century ideological conflict between the two world superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as their respective allies over political, economic and military issues; often depicted as the struggle between capitalism and communism. The after effects of World War Two were what ultimately ignited the Cold War. Phillips (2001) is of the belief that “The defeat of Nazi Germany at the end of the end of the Second World War had left a power vacuum in Europe in 1945…” and the “…resulting tension which developed between the USA and USSR was in large due to attempts by both countries to fill this vacuum.” Smith (1989:27) strongly agrees with this statement: “The ostensible basis of Soviet displeasure was their exclusion from Western deliberations on the political and economic future of Germany.”

Ultimately, the West feared the spread of communism throughout Europe and thus, military alliances were formed to end this ‘disease’. The West grouped together in the whereas the East grouped together as part of the . By 1951 Europe was divided into two superpower blocs, one led by America and one led by the Soviets. A 'cold war' subsequently followed which spread globally, leading to historically, significant events such as the Berlin Blockade and the Berlin Airlift.

The Berlin Blockade was the first big struggle of wills fought by both sides and was the result of failed attempts made by the Soviets to gain complete control of Berlin. During the multi-national occupation of post–World War Two , the blocked the Western ' railway, road and canal access to the sectors of under Allied control. Their aim was to compel the western powers to allow the Soviet zone to start supplying Berlin with food and fuel, thereby giving the Soviets control over the entire city. Although diplomatic relations between West and East had been decaying since the end ...

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The Western Allies were left with no choice but to airlift supplies to West Berlin. They could have forced their way into the city, but it would have likely led to a full blown conflict with the Soviet Union. They also did not want Stalin to gain total control of the city. Therefore the US decided that airlifting food supplies was the only way to go.

The airlifting of supplies achieved its aim in diminishing Soviet control over the city. It was a clear victory for the Western allies. Although the Berlin Airlift did not actually end the conflict, it was able to provide relief for thousands of people as well as create two separate German states. The definitive opinion is expressed by Morales (1972:23) who concludes that “The (Berlin) Blockade showed the world that the Western Powers would not give into unreasonable pressure.” This was an important event as it helped support the people of West Germany in the early stages of the Cold War. However, the construction of the Berlin Wall had an even more far-reaching impact.

The Berlin Wall was the physical division between West Berlin and East Germany and for 28 years kept the East Germans from fleeing to the West. The wall divided the city, cutting people off from jobs and families. Ostermann (2001:2) suggests “Forced socialisation in the industry and agriculture had driven East Germany’s economy into the ground and socio-economic conditions had become critical.”

In addition, it was the symbolic boundary between Capitalism and Communism during the Cold War. In East Germany, the economy dragged and individual freedoms were severely restricted. Tampke (1988) believes “East Germany suffered insurmountable economic difficulties.” Efficient deep-sea ports were non-existent and there was also no ship building. Both however were badly needed for the development of foreign trade.” By the late 1950s, many people living in East Germany wanted out. No longer able to stand the repressive living conditions of East Germany, they would pack up their bags and head to West Berlin. Cowie (1979) is strongly of the opinion that “West Berlin had become a “shop-window” for Western Liberalism and an escape route from East Germany and the communist bloc.” Although some of them would be stopped on their way, hundreds of thousands of others made it across the border. According to the Editors of Salem Press (1992:34), “between 1961 and 1989; 77 people were killed while trying to cross the wall, but about 40,000 escaped successfully.” Once across, these refugees were housed in warehouses and then flown to West Germany.

Soviet leader Khrushchev, who called the wall a "hateful thing,” believed he had to construct the wall due to the appalling East Germany economy. Khrushchev felt that industry would have collapsed if he did not do something soon to prevent the mass flight of East Germans to the West. Consequently, the Berlin Wall was constructed. The division between East and West in the long run helped stabilise East Germany, and the Cold War, by stopping the drain of workers which eased pressure off of the economy. However, it also did cause widespread turmoil and havoc across Germany, causing friends and families to be separated from one another.

The destruction of the Berlin Wall was nearly as instantaneous as its creation. On November 9 1989, the world celebrated as the destruction of the Berlin Wall unofficially meant the Cold War was over. Grant (1998:42) quotes credible author Stefan Heyn, “It was as if someone had thrown open a window after years of dullness and fug, platitudes, bureaucratic arbitrariness and blindness”

East Germany had an important role in the outcome of the Cold War. Events such as the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift and the construction of the Berlin Wall, had a significant impact on war time tensions, especially between East and West Germany, and subsequently created wide-spread panic throughout Europe. The Cold War was a time when the world almost came to an end. Fortunately, the tensions between the two superpowers eased off with the destruction of the iconic symbol of the Cold War, the Berlin Wall. The lengthy, economically devastating war came to an abrupt end, closing the chapter of a piece of history that caused widespread dishevelment and torment for millions of people.

Bibliography

Barker, E. 1972. The Cold War. Wayland, London.

Barker’s text was very relevant to my essay. The text discussed significant facts regarding the Cold War as well as various non-bias opinions on both East and West Germany. Barker is a reliable author who has been referenced in various history texts.

Cowie, H.R. 1979. Nationalism and Internationalism in the Modern World. Thomas Nelson, Melbourne.

Cowie is a well trusted author that provided an accurate, relevant assessment of the crisis in Berlin as well as provided key facts regarding the conclusion of the Cold War. Cowie is a reliable author as he has produced other historical articles regarding Cold War tensions.

Editors of Salem Press. 1992. The Twentieth Century (1988-1992). Salem, Los Angeles.

The editors of Salem Press are very relevant and accurate as they wrote well written conclusions as well as relevant and interesting facts regarding the Berlin Wall. However, they are bias towards the West and thus are not entirely reliable.

Grant, R.G. 1998. The Berlin Wall. Wayland, London.

Grant’s novel provided a very significant quote from another author, Stefan Heyn. However, the rest of his novel proved rather useless as it only provided general facts on the Cold War. Grant’s novel was fairly accurate, however, some of his writings were rather bias.

Morales, A. 1972. East meets West: Volume 3. Macmillan, Hong Kong

Morales’s dominant view provided facts and statements regarding the origins of the Cold War as well as the events that led to the Berlin Blockade and Berlin Airlift. Morales was useful in giving general background information on the Cold War but due to its simplicity and bias, was not used excessively in the essay.

Niblo, S. 1994. A short history of the Cold War. Thomas Nelson, Melbourne

Niblo’s text listed the events that led to the Berlin Blockade and Berlin Airlift which provided me with generalised ideas of how the Berlin Crisis came about as well as the after effects regarding the crisis. His text was non-bias and very accurate; however, he did not provide adequate conclusions or opinions.

Ostermann, C. 2001. Uprising in East Germany, 1953. Central European University Press, Budapest.

Ostermann offered extensive conclusions regarding the economic and social hardships within East Germany during the Cold War. The text gave me an extensive range of information regarding the problems faced by East Germans which helped me develop a personal opinion regarding the war. Ostermann is a very reliable and accurate source that made reference to other texts I have used.

Phillips, S. 2001. The Cold War: Conflict in Europe and Asia. Heinemann, Melbourne

Phillips was a very useful source as it contained a great definition of the Cold War as well as thorough conclusions regarding the division between East and West. Phillips is a reliable author that wrote an accurate, non-bias text that helped me in the essay.

Smith, J. 1989. The Cold War: Second Edition, 1945-1991. Blackwell, Malden.

Smith is a reliable author that has been cited in other history texts. His novel was very accurate and reliable as it provided me with many conclusions that helped in the creation of my thesis.

Tampke, J. 1988. Twentieth Century Germany: The Weimar and Nazi Years. Thomson Publishing, Melbourne.

Tampke was a very reliable, relevant and accurate source as it provided a wide assortment of facts and opinions regarding the economic, social and political state of East Germany without being bias. His text has been referenced in other novels, which has proven his credibility as a historian.