Introduction
- Vice President Bush views the Berlin Wall with Chancellor Kohl and Mayor Von Weizsäcker.
"It was a windy, snowy, and cold day, and we were bundled up in heavy coats as military helicopters flew us to the border. Like Berlin - in fact, it was nicknamed "Little Berlin" - Moedelreuth was divided into east and west: the tall, barbed wire-topped border fence ran right through the middle of the town. Grim-faced troops in drab uniforms patrolled the eastern side of the fence. It was constructed so that the steel mesh attached to its cement posts faced east, not west, making it clear that the East German government had built it to keep their citizens in, not to keep the West out. The eastern side was also skirted in places with minefields and deep ditches to prevent people and vehicles from reaching it. Our soldiers pointed out East German guards, who followed our party through binoculars, and photographed us from tall concrete-and-steel guard towers with searchlights and reflective glass. I sensed the intimidation and fear they must have instilled in their own people. I knew they had orders to shoot any of their countrymen who tried to scale this fence and flee to freedom."
President George Bush, A World Transformed
From 1961 to 1989, the Berlin Wall stood as a symbol of the Cold War and the difficult relationship the Communist Bloc countries of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union had with the democratic states of Western Europe and the United States. For millions of East German citizens, however, the Wall was much more than just a symbol. It was a barrier isolating them from the freedom of Western Europe.
What do you know about this period in history? Germany has been united for quite some time now, but why was the Wall built in the first place? What were the differences between the two countries? Why was it so important to keep the East and West Germans apart? Finally, what did it mean to Europe and the United States when the Wall came down?
In this WebQuest, you will explore these questions by looking at the Presidential Timeline Exhibit "Fall of the Berlin Wall" and carefully analyzing some of the pictures and documents from the time of the Berlin Wall. You will also fill out a chart to answer questions which you come up with based on what you learn here.