Weekend Open Thread: Die Schandmauer

Tomorrow is the 30th Anniversary of the opening of the die Berliner Mauer (the Berlin Wall) – or as it was termed more colorfully by Willi Brandt, die Schandmauer (the Wall of Shame). It’s also the beginning of this year’s Veteran’s Day Weekend.

That wall, and the events and East German policies regarding it, were a particularly nasty bit of Cold War history. So the temporal linkage between the two events this year – the Fall of the Berlin Wall and Veteran’s Day weekend – seems somehow fitting.

Sadly, for one reason or another that particularly nasty portion of Cold War history is not well-known these days. I have my own theories regarding why that’s so, but those theories are not the point of this article.

But that bit of history hasn’t yet been totally lost. And it needs to be remembered – along with the inhumane acts committed by those building and guarding it, and the hardships it imposed on those living in Berlin.

. . .

A bit of historical background: at the end of World War II, occupied Germany was divided into four occupation zones. These zones were occupied by the US, the UK, France, and the USSR. The USSR’s zone was easternmost, and included Berlin.

However, Berlin was itself treated separately. It was also divided into 4 zones occupied by the US, the UK, France, and the USSR.

As one might guess, in the Soviet occupation zones a Soviet-style Socialist government and economic system were each rapidly and forcibly imposed by the Soviets. The US, UK, and French occupation zones did not follow suit. The sectors of Berlin occupied by the US, UK, and France in short order thus became a free enclave surrounded by a Soviet-style Socialist dictatorship.

Initially, departure to the West wasn’t that difficult. Prior to 1953, the Inner German Border, or IGB, (the border between the US/UK/French occupation zones and the Soviet occupation zone) was essentially uncontrolled; ditto the border between the US/UK/French sectors of Berlin and the surrounding Soviet occupation zones. Free movement was thus possible by simply sneaking across the border. Unfortunately for those desiring freedom, in 1953 the IGB was closed in all areas but Berlin (some sources say closure began in 1952).

However, conrol of borders within Berlin was handled differently than in the rest of Germany; Berlin was still technically occupied territory vice being part of the new postwar German states formed in 1949. As a result, the sector borders in Berlin remained effectively open. With no physical barrier between the eastern and western sectors of Berlin, free movement between eastern and western sectors was still possible (though closely monitored and increasingly tightly controlled by East German authorities) after 1953.

This situation created extreme difficulty for the new Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR), AKA East Germany. By 1961, approximately 3.5 million East Germans (estimated to be roughly 20% of the East German population) had gone west – and a disportionate number of them were skilled technicians, engineers, doctors, teachers, and administrative professionals. After 1953, the vast majority of those leaving did so through Berlin. So the East German authorities, with at a minimum Soviet approval (and possibly in response to Soviet urging), decided to erect what became known as die Berliner Mauer.

The Berlin Wall went up literally overnight during the night of 12-13 August 1961, starting at midnight. It followed the border of West Berlin, encircling it; it divided neighborhoods and, in some cases, families.

Initially, die Berliner Mauer was only a barbed wire barrier; improvements to make it more permanent began immediately. It later became an immense concrete barrier over 100km in length, completely encircling West Berlin, with nine authorized crossing points – and a cleared “death strip” on the East German side, where guards had standing orders to shoot anyone trying to escape.

These orders to shoot explicitly made no exceptions for women and children. From a 1973 version of the orders, translated from the original German: “Do not hesitate to use your firearm, not even when the border is breached in the company of women and children, which is a tactic the traitors have often used”.

Post-unification research indicates documents a minimum of 140 individuals who are known to have died in incidents at the Berlin Wall. The full death toll is thought to approach and possibly even exceed 200; all of the deaths at the Wall will likely never be fully documented. Accounts of these individuals’ demise may be found here.

Another 251 persons died during or after passing through Berlin Wall checkpoints. Finally, an additional roughly 1,000 persons are believed to have died trying to cross other portions of the Inner German Border.

Die Schandmauer was opened, somewhat by accident, on 9 November 1989 by East German authorities (the actual change in policy opening the Berlin Wall and IGB was originally scheduled to have occurred the following day). Physical demolition of the Berlin Wall officially began on 13 June 1990. Small portions had been forced open prior to that date, but in many cases the damaged sections were repaired by East German authorities. Demolition was completed in 1992.

. . .

As I noted above: when die Schandmauer was first installed, it divided neighborhoods – and sometimes families. Here’s a photo of some German grandparents getting a look at their grandchildren, likely for the first time:

The children are being held aloft by their parents in West Berlin. Their grandparents are residents of East Berlin whose homes happened to lie in the Soviet Sector of Berlin near die Schandmauer when it was created.

“And the shame was on the other side.” Indeed it was, Mr. B.

Sidebar: On 6 June 1987, the late David Bowie played an outdoor concert in Berlin near die Schandmauer. The above tune was doubtless one of those in his playlist for the concert.

Attendee accounts indicate that East German crowds gathered to listen. Those accounts also indicate that the East German crowds were clearly audible in West Berlin.

Rioting in East Berlin allegedly followed the concert. According to some, these riots were the first event in a series of internal disturbances within East Germany that culminated in the events of November 1989.

FWIW: the German Forign Office apparently believes Bowie was at least somewhat helpful in bringing down the Berlin Wall.

. . .

A personal note: an acquaintance and I visited a portion of the former East Germany about 6 months after the Wall fell. At the time, remnants of the IGB fortifications were still clearly visible perhaps 100 meters from where we crossed the former IGB.

We then traveled a moderate distance into former East Germany (the visit wasn’t restricted to the immediate vicinity of the former IGB). It was literally like going back in time 30 or 40 years.

The infrastructure in former East Germany was in poor shape, to include the roads (in Germany!). There was still what appeared to be hastily-patched World War II damage visible on some buildings.

There was precious little that appeared to be new construction. Many if not most buildings I saw while passing through a small or mid-sized city – some of which appeared to far predate World War II, and seemed likely at one time to have been rather grand structures – appeared run-down, grimey, and in need of general exterior maintenance.

Conditions were obviously the result of decades of neglect and/or deferred care.

The overall impression was of a dingy, sad, and both economically and psychologically depressed land. The contrast to West Germany was absolutely stunning.

And remember: East Germany was the most prosperous and best run part of the former Soviet bloc. The rest of the Soviet bloc was far less developed and more poorly governed.

So don’t bother to try and convince me of Socialism’s “superiority” as an economic and political system. I’ve personally seen direct and obvious visual evidence to the contrary.

. . .

OK, enough Cold War history for today. Enjoy the WOT, everyone; have a great Veteran’s Day weekend.

“And hey – be careful out there.”

—–

Author’s Note: And before any SJW Leftist blowhard shows up with their “manties/panties in a wad” and starts waxing ignorant with ridiculous statements supporting a nonexistent and nonsensical “right to migrate”, then tries to compare US border control barriers to the Berlin Wall: don’t bother. Doing that will only demonstrate, again, that you’re an illogical fool or ideological dupe – and an incredibly dense one at that.

Why? Because there’s an obvious and huge difference between the two.

US border control measures are there to control unlawful immigration into the United States. That’s something any nation has the absolute right to do, and is little different in that respect than a backyard fence or a locked front door. All three represent the same idea: “Get the owner’s permission before coming inside”.

In contrast, leaving the US via land is easy – just show acceptable ID to the other nation’s border guards (if they’re even there), give a reason, and walk or drive across without further impediment. I’ve personally done so at both US land borders; as I recall, US authorities didn’t even so much as look at me twice on departure.

In contrast, the Berlin Wall and IGB were built to keep East German residents from leaving – e.g., to prevent Soviet-bloc subjects from escaping their “Socialist worker’s paradise” prison-states. (The same was true for the border control barriers along the rest of the Iron Curtain.) In other words: like prison walls, the Berlin Wall and IGB were built specifically to keep people confined – not to prevent unlawful entry.

Category: Historical, Open thread