Berlin's history is vast, and as I have learned from the "Berlin History" videos, way more intricate than I could have imagined. The city goes through many different phases, from reformation to revolution to wars to renaissances. From these numerous events and topics, I have chosen the Golden Twenties and the Berlin Wall. It is interesting to see the similarities between the United States Roaring Twenties and Germany's Golden Twenties. Both were filled with change and creative energy; both were the beginning of a new era in thought.
The beginning of how we see the Berlin of today started in the 1920s. This is when the government decided to amalgamate, or unite, the region's towns and villages under one single administration. This caused Berlin to become one of the world's largest cities, practically overnight. Other than this victory of sorts, the Golden Twenties did not start off as being particularly golden. Germany was still suffering from the humiliation of losing the war, their intense social and political instability, hyperinflation, and many other issues. They struggled with high unemployment, and strikes and demonstrations were becoming an everyday occurrence. There seemed to be hope for Germany when the Rentenmark, a form of currency, was introduced in 1923; the passage of the Dawes Plan, limiting the reparation payments from World War I, in 1924 also aided in the economic stability gradually returning to Germany.
Children playing with blocks of worthless million dollar marks, 1924
In the coming years, Berlin experienced a cultural and artistic revival. It was a meca of experimentation, hedonism, a center of tolerance, and even a splash of decadence. It was overflowing with creative energy. New and modern pieces were popping up all the time; giants of architecture, fine arts, and literature were coming to the surface. In 1923, Germany had its first radio broadcast hit airwaves over Berlin; in 1931, television was debuted to the world in Berlin.
Image from the 1920s in front of the Brandenburg Gate
Unfortunately, as the saying goes, "all good things must come to an end." Everything came to a screeching halt when the US stock market crashed in 1929, ultimately resulting in global economic depression. It took only weeks for half a million of Berlin's residents to become jobless. This resulted in the renewal of riots and demonstrations in the streets of Berlin. The increasingly opposed political climate led to many recurring confrontations between communists and members of the newly founded Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, also known as the National Socialist German Workers' Party or the Nazi Party.
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Communist Flag Nazi Flag
This leads me to the other topic I found interesting, the Berlin Wall. Formed in 1961 as a barrier between East and West Berlin, it stands for many things for different people: a separation between loved ones, a prison for those trapped in East Berlin, a de-valuing of basic human rights, and so much more. The Berlin wall was officially referred to as the Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart; to locals on the East side, it was known as the death strip, while on the West side it was known as the Wall of Shame.
Before the wall was erected, there used to be only Soviet soldiers to guard the border. Once the passage of civilians was handled back to Germany, they decided that something more permanent be put in place. Berlin was losing some of its greatest mind to emigration, they needed to do something, and fast. Construction of the wall begin in the summer of 1961. On the night of August 12, 1961, the leaders of the GDR, German Democratic Republic, attended a garden party at which they signed the order to finally close the border and erect the wall. By the next morning, the wall was erected, and the border to West Berlin closed. The once easiest way to cross over from East to West Germany, was now the hardest. You could only cross through official crossings and gateways. Many people tried to cross the border, to escape the entrapment of East Berlin to the free side of West. There were many who tried, but only a few managed to get passed the many trials to the other side; there were guards meant to shoot down whoever attempted to cross and many would be caught in the barbed wire.
Berliners looking across to the other side of the Berlin Wall
In 1989, the Berlin Wall finally came tumbling down. Demolition began on the evening of November 9. 1989. Many people kept chunks of the fallen wall; my family being among these people. The Wall will forever be a part of Berlin's history, and those it affected.
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