...The rise of the Berlin Wall physically began the morning of August 13th 1961, but the separation of East and West Germany began years before. The life span of the wall lasted until November 9th 1989, just a mere 28 years later. The purpose of the Berlin wall was to separate the East and the West sides of Germany. The result of WWII divided Germany into zones; those zones were given to Great Britain, the United States, France and the Soviet Union. The rise and the fall of the Berlin Wall were key moments in our global history, as it was a series of events that shaped a country. World War II was a success in conquering Germany; The Potsdam Agreement officially broke up Germany into 4 zones. The furthest South was the United States territory, the Southwest territory belonged to the French, the British were in control of the Northwest Territory and Soviets had the East. This division was eventually broken down into a division of the West and East Germany, the West part of Germany was called composed of the United States, France and Great Britain, and was also known as the Federal Republic of Germany. The East side of Germany was the Soviet Union’s portion after the Potsdam Agreement; this side was also known as the German Democratic Republic. The West side of the berlin wall was very different than the East. The west side was the one that sought after to live in by the people of the East side. After the war and the separation of Germany between the four countries West Germany...
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...Berlin is Impact on European History The city of Berlin is central to twentieth century European History. It has been the grounds for many historic events that have shaped the way things are in Europe today both for good and bad reasons. Berlin played a significant role in European history though the sequence of events from 1945 to the late 1990`s that were end of World War Two, through the rise and fall of the Berlin wall, and the birth of the Eurozone. The events covered during this time all interlinked with each other and where the cause for what Europe looks like today. At the end of World War two the USA, France, Britain, and the Soviet Union gathered together to see how Europe should be divided after the war. After it was all divided it came out that the Soviet Union should get most of the countries that Nazi Germany controlled, which were the eastern part of Europe. The division gave East Germany to the capitalist states, and West Germany to the socialist, with Berlin also divided into the two sides. Berlin was on the western side claimed by the USSR, but the city was divided into east and west just like the country had. This division of the capital happened pretty much over night and many were separated from their families and friends. The USSR built the Berlin Wall that would separate all contact with the east side. This forced a Socialist way of living that in the long run created many conflicts of Socialism against Capitalism. The Berlin Wall was eventually torn...
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...Global Trade. This report depicts the sequences of Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall, erected November 13, 1961, served to separate communist East Germany from Western influences. Intended to "protect" East Germans, the wall actually was erected to prevent them from leaving the country. The Wall finally came down August 13, 1989, reuniting families and symbolizing the end of the cold war was near. The initial plans for Allied occupation of Germany were prepared in 1944 in London by the European Advisory Commission. In this agreement, Germany would be divided into four occupational zones governed by Great Britain, the United States, France, and the Soviet Union. The city of Berlin, which would be in the Soviet occupational zone, would be divided among the four powers as well. By the time of the blockade, there was a major contrast between the East and West Berlin. West Berlin was a thriving democratic, capitalist city, while East Berlin was in drab poverty. Trying to escape the forced collectivization of goods and agriculture, numerous shortages, and a police state, many fled to West Berlin. To maintain the stability of the communist regime, the East German leaders felt that these floods of people had to be stopped. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. Introduction…………………………………………………………..….3 1.1 Summary of the Berlin Wall…………………………………….……..3 1.2 Background…………………………………………………………...
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...Fall of the Wall Fall of the Wall The Berlin Wall was a physical division between West Berlin and East Germany from 1961 to 1989 and the symbolic boundary between democracy and Communism during the Cold War. After World War II, the Allied powers divided Germany into four zones, each occupied by the United States, Great Britain, France, or the Soviet Union. Berlin, Germany’s capital, was also divided. As the liaison between the Soviet Union and the other three Allied powers abruptly broke up, the new relationship turned Germany into West versus East, in other words, democracy versus Communism (Rosenberg, n.d.). The demolition of the Berlin Wall and the global market revolution that followed liberated millions of people, and two decades later the world has gained significantly from the democratic and economic incorporation. The destruction of the Berlin Wall is one of the most extraordinary political events of history. It set millions of people free and brought to an end a global conflict that threatened nuclear obliteration. For business, far reaching changes in the global economic atmosphere started at that time: The changeover to the market based economies in most Central and Eastern European countries created considerable opportunities for the markets, resources, supplies, and manufacturing. There was a large increase in cross-border trade and foreign direct investments. Almost simultaneously, the materialization of the digital revolution brought a reduction in...
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...History of the Berlin Wall Eastin Bartholio Modern History Dr. Mallon May 6, 2013 The construction of the Berlin Wall was an actual feature that split Berlin into two parts: East and West Berlin. East Berlin had a communistic ruling and West Berlin had a democratic ruling enabling the West to get stronger. When the wall fell it freed East Berlin allowing them to join together with their other half, West Berlin. The building of the wall physically separated Berlin making it weaker, but with the wall falling it allowed Berlin’s halves come together making their future much brighter. Even before the wall was built East and West Berlin were separated. They were separated because after WWII. Germany’s land was given up to the two superpowers: The Unites States of America and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union got the east and the United States got the west. Giving part of Berlin to each of these superpowers caused separation because the U.S.A is democratic and the Soviet Union is not. As John F. Kennedy said, “There are many people in the world who really do not understand-or say they don’t-what is the great issue between the free world and the communist world. Let them come to Berlin!” Unfortunately when the land was given away it split Berlin in half creating their separation before it was physically separated. Yes, before the wall was built there was conflict between East and West Berlin, but at least the border between them was open to all people...
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...Living in West Berlin vs East Berlin: Thesis Paper The Berlin Wall was built in the August of 1961, when the East German soldiers constructed more than thirty miles of a barbed wire barrier through the center of Berlin, Germany. The citizens of East Berlin not allowed to pass into the Western side. Soon, concrete would take the place of this barbed wire. (Taylor, 458) East German authorities thought that this wall would protect their citizens from the influence of the capitalist system that was occurring in the west. In the west of the world, the Berlin Wall was just like a symbol of communist oppression. The Berlin wall was the biggest boundary separating two worlds; the totalitarian...
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...Once the proud capital of Germany Berlin was divided by a barrier that was patrolled day and night by armed soldiers and guard dogs. On August 13, 1961 shortly after midnight police and soldiers in the Communist controlled Berlin moved quickly to set up barriers. Berliners woke to find their city divided into east and west sectors. A communist nation led by the Soviet Union was in control of East Berlin. While West Berlin was controlled by a democratic nation led by the United States (Epler, 1992). The Berlin Wall known as Berliner Mauer in German (Rosenberg, 2016). It was a symbol of the Cold War. Trying to cross the Wall meant risking one’s life. One side of the Wall people were free to do all the normal things. While the other side of the wall people’s freedom was being taken away. Imagine that your best friend lives a mile away. You have been pals since first grade. You do everything together: school, soccer games, sleepovers. One day, men come and put up a barbed-wire fence between your house and your buddy’s house. Later, they replace it with a very long, very tall concrete wall. Each slab weighs 6,000 pounds, and many of them are topped with sharp wire. When they finish, you stare at the giant wall that has split your home town in two. On your side the wall is ugly but not too scary. On the other side, rattling tanks, soldiers with machine guns and growling dogs keep people from trying to cross the barrier. The wall stands 12 feet high. Your friend...
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...Summary of Thomas Friedman’s The World Is Flat In The World Is Flat, Thomas L. Friedman discusses events and technologies that are “flattening” the world and increasing globalization. Friedman feels the world is highly interconnected without regard to hierarchy, distance, organizational size, individual status, culture, or language. He describes ten "flatteners" that are reshaping the world. Flattener 1 – Fall of the Berlin Wall The end of the Cold War broke down barriers between people. To catch your attention he identifies this flattener with 9/11. November 9, 1989 is when the Berlin Wall fell. He contrasts it with 9/11 which is journalistically neat but not terribly pertinent. But Friedman doesn't stop with a political-historical event. About the same time (the 1980s), Apple and Microsoft were making personal computers available to the world. Not only did the Berlin wall fall but Microsoft Windows opened [cute]. Part of flattener #1 is the personal computer, the ability of individuals to put their thoughts in digital form. Flattener 2 – The Internet On August 9, 1995 Netscape went public with first internet browser available to the public at large. Now people could access information from all over the world. Flattener 3 - Workflow software Many software developments, standards, and protocols enable computers and other digital devices to interact over the internet so that work and other projects can be done by people any where in the world. Friedman...
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... * Space RaceMajor Events * Berlin Airlift * Suez Crisis * Red Scare * Berlin Wall * Bay of Pigs * Cuban Missile Crisis * Collapse of the Soviet UnionWars * Korean War * Vietnam War * Chinese Civil War * Yom Kippur War * Soviet Afghanistan War | People of the Cold War Western Leaders * Harry Truman (US) * Dwight Eisenhower (US) * John F. Kennedy (US) * Lyndon B. Johnson (US) * Richard Nixon (US) * Ronald Reagan (US) * Margaret Thatcher (UK)Communist Leaders * Joseph Stalin (USSR) * Leonid Brezhnev (USSR) * Mikhail Gorbachev (USSR) * Mao Zedong (China) * Fidel Castro (Cuba) | http://www.ducksters.com/history/cold_war/summary.php The Cold War Communism Communism is a type of government and philosophy. Its goal is to form a society where everything is shared equally. All people are treated equally and there is little private ownership. In a communist government, the government owns and controls most everything including property, means of production, education, transportation, and agriculture. History of Communism Karl Marx is considered the Father of Communism. Marx was a German philosopher and economist who wrote about his ideas in a book called the Communist Manifesto in 1848. His communist theories have also become known as Marxism. Marx described ten important aspects of a communist government: * No private property * A single central bank * High income tax that would rise significantly as you made more ...
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...Germany’s economy has always played a prominent role in its rich history. It has come along way to rebuild its shattered economy, losing two world wars and the carrying out of a horrific genocide. Today, Germany dominates Europe on many levels. Participating in two world wars caused havoc on Germany’s economy and for many years, their future seemed bleak. They rebuilt their economy with great success. While most of Europe entered recession in late 2008, Germany was going from strength to strength economically. These topics are very relevant to our personal lives, not a day goes by without the economic state or fiscal crises being mentioned in the various forms of media. These issues affect us directly. Germany as a whole has developed greatly in recent years, in it’s society, it’s economy and other important areas. In my speech I will address many points that discuss Germany’s evolvement into a European economic superpower. I will discuss most importantly the history of Germany in the European Union and how it’s connected to the role of the economy in German history, exploring how Germany has developed in areas such as foreign policy, Gross Domestic Product and Inflation figures, the great divide between East Germany and West Germany after World War II and then Reunification. I will explore and refer to journals, books and popular press sources in Germany throughout my speech. After the First World War, Germany was left in a vulnerable state. Germany was economically devastated...
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...The Cold War: A Matter of Opinion Amy Spengler SS310 The Cold War was really a battle of wills, a power struggle, between the United States and the Soviet Union. No military contact ever ensued, but there was the constant fear of nuclear weapons. During World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union fought as allies against the Axis powers (History, 2013). However, that changed after the war when there was competition between the two nations. The Cold War was an event in history that is commonly taught in schools all around the country. I personally do not remember learning about it in school, although I am sure I did. I interviewed five people to see if their knowledge of the Cold War is more than mine. All five of my interviewees were of different ages, to ensure a wide variety of answers. One special person interviewed was my father, Robert Spengler, who served in the Navy during the Cold War. He had some great stories that I will share. So, what are the words or phrases that come to mind when thinking of the term Cold War? The answers ranged from political war, nuclear standoff, and political unrest to Cuba, USSR, and Iron Curtain. One person I interviewed, Susan Tomlinson, could not think of any words or phrases and she admitted that she knew nothing about it. Her exact words were, “I don't remember studying about the Cold War, although I remember hearing people talking in reference to the Cold War I don't know...
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...escalate in the early years of Reagan’s administration. Reagan believed that President Carter provided minimal leadership to reverse communism. In 1985 President Reagan introduced the principles of the doctrine through support of anti-communist revolutions. During his State of the Union Address in 1985 he compared, “anticommunist forces with American colonists who had fought the revolutionary war, describing those latter-day patriots as ‘freedom fighters’ for democracy” (“The Reagan Doctrine”, 2014, par. 2). The doctrine was created to decrease the Soviet influence in Africa, Asia and Latin America as part of the Reagan administration’s Cold War strategy (Reagan Doctrine, 2014). It has been argued that the Reagan doctrine contributed to the fall of communism itself. One of the diplomatic efforts that occurred during Reagan’s time in office was the support of freedom fighters and/or rebels in multiple countries around the world. One specific country that was helped through the diplomatic efforts of Reagan and the principles of his doctrine was providing aid to Afghan rebels and in turn convincing Moscow to end its occupation of Afghanistan. In 1985 CIA intelligence indicated that the Soviet Union had plans to intensify the war in Afghanistan...
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...The rise and fall of structured finance Abstract The financial crisis of the year 2007 and 2008 saw the world affected negatively with the economy affected adversely (Smith & Mendoza, 2011). Several scores have been directed to increased demand in the housing sector while other have resulted in concluding it was the failure of the financial regulation authorities. The severe effect caused the United States economy job market loss approximately 8 million workers as the inflation rate declined to near zero. The main purpose of the paper is to give clear insights of what caused the increase in the structured finance market and eventually its fall. In this study, the researcher set out to show that only securities that exhibited confidence when underlying them and how they attracted investors by making them appear as high paying. The study will also go an extra mile in explaining the correlation that is existing in the financial market components. Applying the structured prototype in security of finance, the researcher uses CDO (collateralized debt obligation) in illustrating that issuance of capital structure increases the likelihood occurrence of under evaluating of underlying securities and evaluation of risks. The researcher obtains data from secondary sources and Wall Street Journals. The results obtained indicated that credit rating agencies over rated their credits against collateral securities leading to miscalculation and wrong presumptions that saw the economy rise...
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...world for good. That man is Vaclav Havel, a real hero. Vaclav Havel was many great things in his life. He was last president of Czechoslovakia[->0] and the first president of the Czech Republic[->1] (Vaclav Havel). He was a writer and dissident whose stand against Communist rule helped to destroy it in revolutions such as the tearing down of the Berlin Wall (NY Times). He was a humanitarian who helped give power to the powerless (NY Times) and was the Chairman of the Human Rights Foundation (Vaclav Havel). Vaclav Havel won countless awards for his deeds and accomplishments. Some of his most prestigious include the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Indian Gandhi Peace Prize and the Czech Order of the White Lion prize (Vaclav Havel). To be considered for such awards, the recipient must be truly heroic indeed. These awards are never given away lightly and the fact that Vaclav Havel received so many just proves how much of a hero that he is. Vaclav Havel had quite a successful life, and according to the article American Heroes, heroes today are people that have a life well lived. The article also states that a hero is rises above their self interest to help others. Vaclav Havel did this when he spent much time in prison for going against the government; demanding reform. American Heroes claims “Heroes are individuals who exemplify some part of the culture’s moral code: they act the way they ought to act” which Vaclav does throughout his lifetime as he stands up to an...
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...The objective of Thomas Friedman’s book The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization is to understand globalization as a complex and interconnected international system where he embellishes the system with symbols and bold metaphors. In the opening scene of the text, he mentions the crash of Thai currency, the baht in 1997 which triggered a domino effect on the Southeast Asian market. The result of which was Southeast Asian recession. Recession in Southeast Asia caused rise in prices of commodities all over the world. Friedman’s description of the events in the opening scene is an example of this complex interconnected system called globalization. According to Friedman, globalization is a process that much of the world is going through now and is the sum total economic interests of everybody in the world. This complex system has broad dynamics that deal with finances, technology and intercommunication. The beginning of this era of globalization started with the fall of Berlin wall in 1989 indicating the end of cold war era. The Cold War system was a stationary system whereas globalization is a dynamic process. The world today is very fast paced and the velocity keeps on increasing rapidly. Unlike the Cold War system globalization has integrated the markets breaking out of cultural barriers and national borders. “I define globalization this way: it is the inexorable integration of markets, nation-states and technologies to a degree never witnessed before in a way...
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