History before the founding of the city

From the foundation to the edict of Potsdam

Prussian kingdom and German empire

The Weimar Republic and the Third Reich

The postwar time, partition, reunion and the presence


by Christian Kopf


After the Second World War, Germany was divided up into four occupation zones. Berlin was divided accordingly. Every of the four allied forces received control over one occupation zone and on sector of Berlin. The North-West is controlled by the French forces, the central West by the British troops, the South-West by the Americans and the entire eastern part was controlled by the Russians. They also occupied the entire east of Germany and therefore the entire area around Berlin.

Berlin from satellite today
(with the position of the old wall)

Soon it came to conflicts between the Russians and the other allies. While the Americans, British and French united their zones the Russians isolate themselves from the other allies. The unannounced currency reformation led to a further separation of the Russians from the allied forces. While the western allies started rebuilding the western part of Germany, the Russians still demanded high reparations from the eastern part of Germany. In 1948 the Russian forces blocked all entries to the city of Berlin, to gain control over the town. The Americans flew supplies into West-Berlin under financial expenses. The Russian attempt to make West-Berlin ergonomically depended on the area around it led to the opposite. After the blockage the people of West-Berlin felt connected to the western parts of Germany and the allies.

Divided Berlin

On the 23rd of May 1949 the Federal Republic of Germany was founded by the French, British and American forces. At the 7th of October the German Democratic Republic (DDR) was founded in the Russian zone of Germany. In 1950 the constitution of Berlin was established in West-Berlin and an election to a city parliament was held. In the Eastern part of Germany and Berlin a socialist state was established.

On the 17th of June 1953 it came to a spontaneous uprising in East-Berlin, the government of the DDR reacted with violence against the demonstrators.

On the 13th of August 1961 the construction of the Berlin wall, as ordered by the ruler of the DDR, began. All the borders were closed and heavily secured. The separation of the city was final. This was made to stop the high number of people immigrating from the DDR to the Federal Republic, which caused immense economic problems in the DDR. Even though the allies had a high number of troops stationed in the town, they didn't intervene.

The construction of the wall led to a stabilisation of situation because it forced everyone to accept the status quo. The Russians gave up their demand for demilitarization of West-Berlin. In 1971 the reach ability of West-Berlin was secured in treaty.

Both states gave their parts of the city very high financial support to impress the other part of Germany. Two representative centres developed, in the West around the Zoo and in the East around the Alexander Square. Since the Humboldt University was located in eastern part of Berlin, the Free University was founded in 1948 in western part. Also a new opera was built in the western part while in the eastern part large housing projects were built and entire new city-parts were put up.

In 1968 the Free University in West-Berlin was the centre of the student revolts. This was a conflict in the society which divided up the West-Berlin population and caused riots and fights between police and students. In the 1970th a leftist terrorist organisation developed in West-Berlin.

Due to a high demand for flats and speculators leaving flats free for financial reasons, people started the occupation houses since the end of the 1970th. Some found agreements with the owners of the houses and some were forcefully removed by the police, which often ended in street riots.

After large demonstrations and a misunderstood statement of the DDR official Günther Schabowski, the border patrol opens the border from East- to West-Berlin on the 9th of November. People started climbing on the wall and dancing on the streets. Neither the Russian nor the East-German police or army intervened. From that on everything led towards the reunion of the city.

On the 3rd of October 1990, Germany's national holiday of today, the German Democratic Republic united with the Federal Republic officially. Also the allied forces and the Russians gave up control over Berlin.

1991 Berlin became capital of the reunited Germany and since 1999 the parliament held its debates in Berlin. In 1996 the attempt to unite Berlin with Brandenburg failed in a popular vote.

Berlin today

Since the competition between the two parts stopped the financial support stopped as well. Due to that and a scandal in cities own bank led to financial problems that still haven't been solved. Since 2001 Berlin is governed by a coalition of SPD (Social Democrats) and PDS (Socialists).