“The Legend of the Berlin Wall (Cold War Series EP1)” by 9arm introduces the Cold War through the history of Germany and Berlin after the Second World War. The episode covers the division into occupation zones, conflict between the Western powers and the Soviet Union, the Berlin crisis, construction of the wall, attempts to cross the border and the opening of the border in 1989.
Key dates in the history of Germany and Berlin
| Period | Event | Why it matters to the video |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | After Germany surrendered, the Allies divided the country into four occupation zones and Berlin into four sectors, even though the city lay deep inside the Soviet-controlled zone. | This helps explain why West Berlin was separated from the rest of the Western zones. |
| 1948–1949 | The Soviet Union blocked land and water routes into the parts of Berlin controlled by the Western powers. The United States and the United Kingdom responded by airlifting food and fuel. The crisis ended when the blockade was lifted in May 1949. | The Berlin Blockade and Berlin Airlift were among the early Cold War confrontations. |
| 1949 | The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was established in September from the US, British and French zones. The German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was established in October in the Soviet zone. | Germany became two states; the division was not limited to the city of Berlin. |
| From 13 August 1961 | East German authorities closed the border between East and West Berlin and began building barriers. These later developed into a wall and a multi-layered border-security system. | The wall was not built in a single day; it was a border system that changed over time. |
| 9 November 1989 | Border crossings opened to the public after protests and political pressure in East Germany. | The border opened in 1989, before formal reunification. |
| 3 October 1990 | East Germany joined the Federal Republic of Germany. This date marks German reunification. | The opening of the border in 1989 should be distinguished from reunification in 1990. |
This timeline is checked against the Berlin Wall Foundation, the US State Department’s Office of the Historian: Germany and its Berlin Airlift record, the US National Archives’ documents on the 1961 Berlin crisis, and the German government’s accounts of the border opening on 9 November 1989 and reunification on 3 October 1990.
Points from the video to read carefully
The video discusses ideological conflict and competition between the Western powers and the Soviet Union, as well as effects on technology such as missiles, satellites, GPS and espionage. The video’s wording for a phrase rendered as “OTOP Plan” is unclear. This article does not treat it as the name of a historical plan or connect it to COMECON.
The opening of the Berlin Wall did not mean that the Soviet Union collapsed in the same year, nor did it immediately reunify Germany. The border opened in 1989; reunification took effect on 3 October 1990.
Watch the video, channel and related playlists
Watch the original episode, “The Legend of the Berlin Wall (Cold War Series EP1)”, and explore other videos from 9arm. The video appears in the playlists 9arm: Top Picks 2023, Arm Audio and Stories. Browse the full playlist directory. For another history-and-science topic, read about Chernobyl and the RBMK reactor.