After the end of World War II in Europe, what remained of pre-war Germany west of the Oder-Neisse line was divided into four occupation zones, each one controlled by one of the four occupying Allied powers: the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union. The capital of Berlin, as the seat of the Allied Control Council, was similarly subdivided into four sectors despite the city's location, which was fully within the Soviet zone.
Within two years, political divisions increased between the Soviets and the other occupying powers. These included the Soviets' refusal to agree to reconstruction plans making post-war Germany self-sufficient and to a detailed accounting of the industrial plants, goods and infrastructure already removed by the Soviets. Britain, France, the United States and the Benelux countries later met to combine the non-Soviet zones of the country into one zone for reconstruction and to approve the extension of the Marshall Plan.
Once the wall went up in 1961 life for East Berlin began to improve under the communist system. People had excellent healthcare facilities and free public transport. They enjoyed full employment, food and rents. Factory outputs also increased in the 1960s. Many East Germans believed that communism was fairer than capitalist West German. They were proud of their achievements.
However, they lacked some key freedoms including freedom of speech, the ability to vote and they were not allowed to leave East Berlin and travel to the West. This chapter outlines the advantages and disadvantages of the communist system in East Berlin.
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A boy stands on a coal scuttle to peer over the wall of a sports stadium in Berlin, 8th January 1951. (Photo by Keystone Features/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) |
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Boys bring buckets to stand on for a view over the wall of a sports stadium in Berlin, 8th January 1951. (Photo by Keystone Features/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) |
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West Berlin policemen and East German Volkspolizei face each other across the border in Berlin, circa 1955. (Photo by Three Lions/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) |
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Soviet tanks and troops at Checkpoint Charlie, a crossing point in the Berlin Wall between the American and Soviet sectors of the city at the junction of Friedrichstrasse, Zimmerstrasse and Mauerstrasse, February 1961. (Photo by Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) |