Essay On The Berlin Wall

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In our country, many take for granted our freedom. Not too long ago, Germany experienced a live with little or no freedom. The Berlin Wall, known as the "Iron Curtain" was constructed to keep citizens under the control of the Communist government. The Berlin Wall was one of the greatest stories from our past, because the citizens were able to tear down the wall and prevail their freedom. In Germany, the Berlin Wall was an impediment, because it trapped the citizens who were living behind the wall, many people died trying to escape it, and it increased the power of their communist government.

The Berlin Wall was an impediment because it trapped the citizens on the eastern side of the wall. After World War II, Germany was split into two …show more content…
The Berlin wall ran between northern part of Germany to the southern part and was very fortified. According to an article written by Ed Grabianowski, the wall had watch towers with search lights to spot anyone who tried to escape. In order get to the wall, a person would have to make it across the coiled barbed wire, around all the trip wires that were connected to guns, and the person would have to get across the armed guards who were keeping watch 24 hours a day. Also, there were mines placed on the ground, so that vehicles could not drive through the wall. Even if a person made it to the wall, the top of it had a tubelike structure, so that a person could not climb over (Grabianowski). Since the eastern part of Berlin was communist, the guards were given strict orders. By the East German authorities, an order was created to "shoot to kill any civilians who attempted to breach the barrier, made of concrete and barbed wire" (“Commentary on Statement by President John F. Kennedy on the Berlin Wall, August 24, 1961”). According to Cornett, the guards were given multiple awards if they were able to protect the wall. One of the medals was called the Medal For Exemplary Border Service. To earn this medal, the guards had to follow strict orders from the leaders. This involved killing any civilian who tried to escape across the wall. Corbett also continued by saying, "The East German State tried to cover
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