The Berlin Wall

You'd think that defeating the Nazis would leave Europe in smiles and sunshine, but the Cold War dragged on for another 50 years or so. With a shattered economy, a decimated population, and the worst PR problem in history, Germany struggled to redefine itself. This former heavyweight would soon become the battleground for democratic and communist ideologies, with the East Germany lying in the Soviet Sphere of influence and West Germany allied primarily to the US. This awkward arrangement culminated in Berlin, which was neatly divided riiiiiight down the middle. This tactic works well for sharing the last slice of DQ Blizzard cake, but not so much for redrawing political boundaries during the threat of nuclear holocaust. Especially when one of the sides *cough*East Berlin*cough*, enjoys a much lower quality of life. Unsurprisingly, East Berliners retaliated by emigrating en masse. Threatened with a massive brain drain and a blot on the squeaky clean Communist reputation, East German officials built and armed a wall across Berlin, announcing defectors as traitors who could be shot on sight.

Approximately 200 East Germans were killed attempting to break through the Berlin wall. Most famous is 18 year old Peter Fechter, who bled to death on live television after East German guards refused to allow him medical treatment. Successful attempts included digging under the wall, crawling through the sewer system, flying overhead in stolen gliders, and ramming checkpoints with a modified sports car. The wall was dismantled when GDR official Schabowski accidentally misinterpreted an official memo explaining a gradual decrease in wall security and announced that passage between East and West Berlin could resume immediately. Thousands of people crowded the streets demanding entrance, and the very confused guards complied. Sing along to Wonderwall by Oasis, and appreciate how far we've come in 20 years.

The Berlin Wall


It’s dawn, August ’61
Hammers throb the morning light
To stop people that deferred
Soldiers told to shoot on sight
No one believes it for a moment
The rumors whispered here are too absurd

Tee shirt torn on red barbed wire
Blockade looming up twelve feet
Armed guards, floodlights chained dogs
Prison bars made of concrete
No one believes it for a moment
The rumours whispered here are too absurd

To save the East from capitalist sin
They built and armed a wall across Berlin
Awake one day and find your life
Dissected, cut right through
On the wrong side

Annexation
A divided German nation
And it stands so tall
The Berlin Wall

It’s dusk November ‘89
And Schabowski tries to speak
Murmurs echo his words
People wander down the street
No one believes it for a moment
The rumours whispered here are too absurd

The Cold War now is finally receding
Soviet Union influence is fleeting
Maybe this will be the peace
We’ve waited for so long
Since Adolf rose to power

Annexation
A divided German nation
And it stands so tall
The Berlin Wall

Midnight November ‘89
And the crowd is growing strong
40 years of East vs. West
Maybe Ulbricht was wrong
No one believes it for a moment
The rumours whispered here are too absurd

They’ll smash the stone with fist and mind and bone
Twenty eight years and finally going home
Arm in arm and face to face
East-West and they’re the same
And really, who’s to blame?

Reunification
A united German nation
So see it fall
Yeah the Berlin wall