Globalization and the Berlin Wall

In Ghosts of Berlin, Brian Ladd introduces the idea of memorialization and the issues Germany faced when attempting to reconcile with its turbulent past. One of the defining factors of Berlin geography, and a factor that brought much conflict around its existed post-communism, is the Berlin Wall, the physical structure that split Berlin between the Allied Powers after the fall of the Third Reich. The Wall existed throughout Berlin, separating the two existing sides and splitting the city along ideological lines. While the Wall physically separated the two Berlins, it also acted as a symbolic barrier between the two immerging worlds: East and West, Communist and Capitalist, regulation and free markets. The globalization that occurred throughout the 20th century allowed to Wall to grown in international significance by presenting its story to people around the globe and giving it meaning to almost every person throughout the modern world.

Globalization also compounded the extreme differences on both sides of the Wall. While West Berlin existed as part of West Germany, which participated in global free markets and had economic freedom, East Berlin was cut off from these markets. This meant that East Berlin was also excluded from the economic flourishing of the western world brought through their presence in these markets. While many countries were able to gain economic success in the globalizing world, the East was not, and the disparities between the two Berlins grew.

How did Germany seek to appropriately remember this controversial structure? Many times, people think of memorialization as a celebration of the past and the accomplishments of a nation. It also helps to add to a nation’s identity and what it choses to showcase to the rest of the world. However, many conflicts arose in the memorialization of the wall, especially for Berliner and Germans who wanted to forget the past. For now, the East Side Gallery, a mile long strip of commissioned art on the Wall, acts as a reminder of the separation of these two different worlds. As the Cold War continues to fade into history, Berlin will have to decide if their memorialization of the past accurately portrays the controversial history of the East and the West, and decisions will have to be made to remember it in a new way.