The_Rise_And_Fall_Of_The_Berlin_Wall

The Rise And Fall Of The Berlin Wall “An Iron Curtain has descended across the continent. Behind that line lie all of the capitals of the ancient states of central and eastern Europe . . . all these famous cities and populations around lie in the Soviet sphere and all are subject . . . to a very high and increasing measure of control from Moscow.” With this section of Winston Churchill’s famous speech in 1946 at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, he coined the term “Iron Curtain.” Most people believe that Winston Churchill was referring directly to the Berlin Wall, but he was actually talking about the general closing off of Soviet satellite countries in Eastern Europe. Even though the wall itself was not built until 1961, the Berlin Wall was the enduring symbol of that “Iron Curtain.” Understanding the reason for its construction, the heartache it caused, and the joy over its fall helps modern students relate to its symbolic role as an “Iron Curtain” (Rise). The Berlin Wall was erected for one main reason: to keep East Berliners from escaping to West Berlin. After WWII, Berlin, the capital of Germany, was a ruined city. The WWII victors, the United wall, east, berlin, west, soviet, germans, berliners, german, communist, union, iron, curtain, new, government, germany, began, until, system, reason, people, opened, first, democratic, border, because, 1989, 1961, three, sectors, republic, radio, over, one, gone, europe