The Two Sides of the Berlin Wall | Teen Ink

The Two Sides of the Berlin Wall

March 19, 2015
By ABIGAIL.S PLATINUM, Trenton, Ohio
ABIGAIL.S PLATINUM, Trenton, Ohio
37 articles 3 photos 35 comments

Favorite Quote:
"only you can start a change you want"


The Berlin wall, no matter what side of the wall you were in life was not the best. so what was life like on each side? The west side was the good side and the east was the bad, but both were not good when you were separated from your family and friends. in this essay you will learn about the effect the wall had on many people, then on to the life on each side of the wall.

The effects of the wall on the people living in Berlin at the time were not at all fun. when the wall went up many families were separated. The people that worked on the east side and lived on the west side (or vice versa), could not go to work because of the wall or could not go home if they stayed the night in the east side after the wall went up. you could not leave to visit any friends if they were on the opposite side of the wall. when the wall went up you got stuck on whatever side you slept on the night before. All exits and ways to get past the wall were bricked up so no one could pass through. this affected many lives because so many families were split apart and you couldn't see relatives or friends on the otherside. that alone can have a big impact on many lives. thats some of the overall impacts.

Next is what life was like in East Berlin, things were bad for the most part. One thing is that people were very poor and had little money for needed things and with that a low standard of living,  “Due to the fact that everyone gets paid the same amount, the higher the population, the lower the income for everyone-leads to a very poor country. There is also no incentive to work hard as everyone gets paid the same amount no matter how well you work.” (berlinwall.pressbooks).  with that other negatives about living in the east side are; Everybody has to work, No freedom of speech, Limited supplies and choices, Food and resource prices are high, Very limited privacy- surveillance is everywhere. On the upside everyone has a job, everyone is equal,and there is no competition.
Lastly is life in West Berlin, things were much better on that side. It was known as being a “free city”, and really it was. You had more rights and freedoms then you did in the east side. You could make your way up in the world to earn more money. Not everyone got paid the same so there was competition for jobs/ money but people for the most part were happy. You had a better education opportunity because you didn’t have to be in a “club” to get into a really good school. People had the freedom of speech and were not under the rule of an unjust dictador. The city was booming and students loved the schools you could go to.

So on each side the of the wall things were very much different. The wall was an upset for many. It affected many people but after some time went by the wall was finally broken down and the two sides were united back as one. The falling of the wall showed uniting back together and a new hope.



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This article has 1 comment.


ellwist SILVER said...
on Apr. 6 2015 at 8:58 am
ellwist SILVER, Surabaya, Other
6 articles 2 photos 85 comments

Favorite Quote:
"They only let you be this happy when they're preparing to take something from you." -Khaled Hosseini, the Kite Runner.

I think what I liked most of this article is that it was daring enough to discuss such a big mark on history like this, though its language is a bit rigid. Good job.