World Independence Day 2022: After the end of World War II, Germany was divided into East and West Germany. The United States, France, and the United Kingdom took control of West Germany, while the Soviet Union took control of East Germany. Berlin joined Soviet-controlled Germany in 1949, the same year that East Germany gained independence.
To prevent migrants from moving from East Berlin to West Berlin and the rest of Western Europe,’a wall‘ was created. Between 1961 and 1989, 5,000 people are believed to have crossed the Berlin Wall. About 100 people were killed in the process.
World Independence Day 2022: Date
The collapse of the Great Wall of Berlin led to Independence Day which is celebrated around the world on 9 November every year since 2001.
World Independence Day 2022: History
The economic situation in capitalist West Germany was prosperous. Under communist rule in East Germany, the opposite happened. Many Germans moved to West Germany to escape the harsh conditions of the communist regime. East Germany had lost a substantial part of its population, including most of its labor force, by the late 1960s.
About 3 million individuals fled East Germany between 1949 and 1961. In a desperate attempt to take control of West Germany, including West Berlin, the Soviet Union threatened to deploy nuclear weapons.
On August 12-13, 1961, soldiers built concrete towers and barbed wire between East and West Berlin. This action was taken in the dark of night. The next morning, when the citizens of Berlin awoke, they were unable to travel to the opposite side of the city.
Berliners were unable to move there, whether they had jobs or families on the opposite side. For decades, he remained confined to his side of Berlin. A few days later a strong wall was built by the soldiers.
The ‘Berlin Wall’ became a symbol of the Cold War.
World Independence Day 2022: Significance
In June 1982, President Ronald Reagan visited Berlin and addressed the Wall issue, the arms race and the Cold War. He returned to the Berlin Wall in 1987 and gave his famous speech of all time, “Take down this wall!”
On 9 November 1989, thousands of Berliners climbed the wall after realizing the border was open. He started breaking the wall with a chisel and a hammer. The wall fell in sections. On 3 October 1990, Germany was completed as a nation by joining East and West Germany.
The freedom of people everywhere is still under threat. Many want to rule over the entire population. These dictators exist as a result of political, social or violent pressures.
The day recognizes the need to keep working towards universal freedom and peace.