Why Propaganda Changed How We Viewed The Berlin Wall
Art shaped the way the Western World viewed East Berlin
On August 13, 1961, East Germany began building a barbed wire and concrete wall between East and West Berlin. The purpose of the wall was to keep Western “fascists” from entering the communist Eastern Germany and undermining the socialist state. After the Berlin Wall’s destruction, the reunited state became more undivided as before as internalized hate began to linger in the country. Propaganda from the western world began to influence the perception of life in communist East Germany as a state of oppression and suffering while those who inhabited the former German Democratic Republic began to admire the rulings.
In 1961, the construction of the Berlin Wall began and the Wall divided Germany literally and figuratively. Historian Ernest May states, “for Americans, the Cold War always had Berlin at its center.” The division of Germany shocked the Western World as it showed the urgency and strength of the communist party. After World War II, the United States stationed in Berlin, determined to keep peace in the “capital of the despised adversary.”
The divided country continued standing all the way into the internet age became a worldwide symbol of oppression and the power of the communist party. The Soviet’s had power in other countries, including France and Italy. The Wall remained standing until 1990 and its destruction celebrated the end of communism in Germany and reunited the country.
After the Berlin Wall’s destruction, the reunited state became more undivided as before as internalized hate began to linger in the country.
Now, I’m not a communist and I’m not going to try and convince you Communism was a positive change for Germany. The problems for East Germans continued after the fall of the Wall. The media represented life after the wall as win for the Western World, but the social problems were ignored. Propaganda was used during the 1960s up until 1990 after the wall was destroyed.
Ronald Reagan’s 1987 speech, “Remarks on East and West Relations,” became one of the most memorable speeches associated with the Cold War. In the speech, Reagan addressed General Gorbachev and demanded he “tear down this wall!” The wall was in place for almost thirty years and brought nothing but feelings of hopelessness and hate. This feeling was not exclusive to East and West Germany and radiated through Europe. He explains the wall cannot withstand faith, truth, and freedom, three things the citizens, on both sides of the wall, are using to fight this great fight. Not only did the speech raise the morale of Germans, it painted an incomplete picture of what life was really like in the communist East Germany.
Propaganda
Propaganda is hard to spot during current political times, but ever so clear to see after many years have passed. Artwork is one of the most common forms of propaganda, whether it be comic strips, paintings, or magazine covers. Popular art and imagery in American pop culture depicted the way of life for East and West Berlin as polar opposites.
In August 1962, Times Magazine’s cover included a photo depicting arms reaching under barbed wiring climbing over the wall. In small print, the words featured are “The Wall.” The cover depicts the living conditions in East Germany as depressing and inescapable, as they are hurt from the barbed wire of communism. Depicting East Germans as prisoners to communism shifts the viewers from sympathy to hatred for the USSR and GDR. The magazine cover described the situation in Germany as a bleak state and death of freedom, which caused American’s distain for communism to grow stronger. Next to the small print, a single circle of pink roses represents a memorial wreath for those affected by the communist rule.
Depicting East Germans as prisoners to communism shifts the viewers from sympathy to hatred for the USSR and GDR.
Another propaganda piece is an artwork created by Herbert Smagon in 1989 titled “The Fall of the Berlin Wall” and it portrays the drastic difference between West and East Germany. Smagon’s controversial work solidifies the piece as propaganda; His service in World War Two had a huge influence on his art, which revolved around Nazi soldiers and graphic war scenes. The piece shows the oppression those in the communist country endured and how the destruction of the wall will bring them back into the light of freedom.
The diptych features a storyline with the right in black and white displaying East Germany and the left in full color depicting West Germany. The wall is shown mid-destruction and is used as a window into the life of East Germans. East Germans are climbing over the wall and reuniting with friends and family shown in full color. The figures shown in black and white are fully clothed in communist worker apparel while West Germans are shown in modern, revealing clothes. In the background on the right, watchtowers and USSR symbols are seen and they exude an ominous feeling to the piece.
Berlin After the Wall
After the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the dream of freedom and unity became a pipe dream rather than a reality. While the destruction of the wall was a proud and positive moment for the now unified German country, reunification caused many East Germans to become lost and self-conscious.
Women were one of the most negatively affected groups during the assimilation in the late 1980s. In the communist state, women had equal opportunities for working, but after the fall of the wall female unemployment hit an all-time high as the stakes were high. This decline in employment led to many women feeling unsure and changed their entire way of life and future plans.
After the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the dream of freedom and unity became a pipe dream rather than a reality.
Not only did East Germans become unemployed, many found themselves lost in a nation that was different than their previous communist home. The assimilation period led East Germans to re-assess their national identity in a context which was now largely dominated by West German interests.
Life in Berlin Today
Reagan’s speech is one that will live on in history, as it gave support to Germany and aided their protests, which ultimately ended with the Berlin Wall’s destruction. The quote “tear down this wall!” is still used today and shows Reagan’s political impact. The unfair treatment and highly political propaganda were unfavorable for many East German citizens as the negative view sealed their status as second-class citizens when compared to the West Germans.
The use of propaganda changed how people perceived the living conditions in the divided country. Even when counting the negative side effects of Communism, this allowed the East German citizens to become strong in the face of adversity.
The Berlin Wall has changed from a scar to a place of remembrance as the wall is filled with murals celebrating its figurative destruction. In Reagan’s 1987, he referred to the wall as a “scar” and today the wall has become painted with images and words of peace and remembrance of those affected by communism. The wall continues stand in Berlin as a physical reminder of the pain Communism has on people in the modern day.
Today, the topic of the wall continuing to stand is a heated debate as many want to move forward and others want to remember the change. While the Wall has become a popular tourist attraction, many natives wish the history would stay in the history books rather than being in the city.