Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
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The division of Berlin was agreed as early as January 1944. While Berlin fell within Soviet-controlled East Germany, the Western Allies felt it was only fair that the capital be under shared Western and Soviet control. About one third of Berlin was occupied by the Communists while the Americans, British, and French controlled the remaining two-thirds. As the Cold War heated up, this divided Berlin became a flashpoint
The different sides of Berlin became symbols of the success of West and East, with each superpower wanting to prop up their portion of the city as a symbol of their ideology’s supremacy. The government of Communist East Berlin was therefore given extensive power and resources to ensure their success. As a result, the people of East Berlin experienced some of the harshest and most unforgiving conditions as the regime tried to protect and promote itself at any cost. With a legendary secret police force, brutal suppression of dissent, a constant military occupation, and one of the most dangerous and impassable borders in history, the regime of East Berlin proved to be one of the cruelest of all time.
The East Germans were no fans of the Soviets in turn. Even if they weren’t Nazis, the average German was not a Communist either. Reports and experiences of the savagery of the Soviet advance had painted the occupiers as monsters. Despite merging the existing German Communist and Social Democrat parties into the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) to rule over it, the new Soviet-designed regime was seen as a foreign occupation and was deeply resented. I n this climate of distrust and hatred, it is no surprise that the regime answered those attitudes with fear, brutality, and persecution. From the very first months, the Communists worked for the destruction of the Germans. In the months following the war, millions of Germans were expelled from newly liberated countries like Poland and Czechoslovakia. Many of these refugees poured into Berlin where the Soviet authorities showed their contempt by strictly limiting food and medical supplies to the swelling population. 12,000 Berliners died of starvation or related issues in the first year of the occupation.
#eastberlin #coldwar #history #hitler
Sources:
Anna Funder, Stasiland: Stories From Behind the Berlin Wall, (2003) Frederick Taylor, The Berlin Wall: A World Divided, 1961-1989, (2007) Iain MacGregor, Checkpoint Charlie: The Cold War, the Berlin Wall, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth, (2019) Jens Gieseke, (trans. David Burnett), The History of the Stasi: East Germany’s Secret Police, 1945-1990, (2001; trans. 2014) Nina Willner, Forty Autumns: A Family’s Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall, (2016)
Copyright © 2025 A Day In History. All rights reserved.
DISCLAIMER: All materials in these videos are used for entertainment purposes and fall within the guidelines of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. If you are, or represent, the copyright owner of materials used in this video, and have an issue with the use of said material, please send an email to adayinhistory2021@gmail.com
Go to buyraycon.com/ADAYINHISTORY to get up to 20% off sitewide! Brought to you by Raycon
The division of Berlin was agreed as early as January 1944. While Berlin fell within Soviet-controlled East Germany, the Western Allies felt it was only fair that the capital be under shared Western and Soviet control. About one third of Berlin was occupied by the Communists while the Americans, British, and French controlled the remaining two-thirds. As the Cold War heated up, this divided Berlin became a flashpoint
The different sides of Berlin became symbols of the success of West and East, with each superpower wanting to prop up their portion of the city as a symbol of their ideology’s supremacy. The government of Communist East Berlin was therefore given extensive power and resources to ensure their success. As a result, the people of East Berlin experienced some of the harshest and most unforgiving conditions as the regime tried to protect and promote itself at any cost. With a legendary secret police force, brutal suppression of dissent, a constant military occupation, and one of the most dangerous and impassable borders in history, the regime of East Berlin proved to be one of the cruelest of all time.
The East Germans were no fans of the Soviets in turn. Even if they weren’t Nazis, the average German was not a Communist either. Reports and experiences of the savagery of the Soviet advance had painted the occupiers as monsters. Despite merging the existing German Communist and Social Democrat parties into the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) to rule over it, the new Soviet-designed regime was seen as a foreign occupation and was deeply resented. I n this climate of distrust and hatred, it is no surprise that the regime answered those attitudes with fear, brutality, and persecution. From the very first months, the Communists worked for the destruction of the Germans. In the months following the war, millions of Germans were expelled from newly liberated countries like Poland and Czechoslovakia. Many of these refugees poured into Berlin where the Soviet authorities showed their contempt by strictly limiting food and medical supplies to the swelling population. 12,000 Berliners died of starvation or related issues in the first year of the occupation.
#eastberlin #coldwar #history #hitler
Sources:
Anna Funder, Stasiland: Stories From Behind the Berlin Wall, (2003) Frederick Taylor, The Berlin Wall: A World Divided, 1961-1989, (2007) Iain MacGregor, Checkpoint Charlie: The Cold War, the Berlin Wall, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth, (2019) Jens Gieseke, (trans. David Burnett), The History of the Stasi: East Germany’s Secret Police, 1945-1990, (2001; trans. 2014) Nina Willner, Forty Autumns: A Family’s Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall, (2016)
Copyright © 2025 A Day In History. All rights reserved.
DISCLAIMER: All materials in these videos are used for entertainment purposes and fall within the guidelines of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. If you are, or represent, the copyright owner of materials used in this video, and have an issue with the use of said material, please send an email to adayinhistory2021@gmail.com
