“As he was about to climb the wall, a border guard opened fire. Peter continued to climb the Wall, but ran out of energy just as he reached the top. Then it fell again on the East German side of the Berlin Wall” (Rosenberg, About.com). At the end of World War II, several nations banded together to overthrow Germany. The fall of Germany will always be remembered as a significant turning point in history resulting from the cooperation of the Allied Powers. The decision was made to divide Germany into four different sections, each under the separate rule of the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, the separation of the territory has increased tensions. The once mutual relationship quickly devolved into a competitive and aggressive standoff between East Germany and West Germany. In East Germany there was the Soviet Union and in West Germany there was France, the United States and Great Britain. Eventually, living conditions in the two districts became markedly different. The East quickly became poor as the Soviet Union neglected its newfound war spoils. The West prospered with its new capitalist society and rapidly growing economy. Mass emigration quickly took place as people from the communist East rushed across the border into the democratic West. The Soviet Union, in desperation, quickly erected a wall in East Berlin, separating East from West. This huge makeshift bulwark divided East from West and became known as the Berlin Wall. The construction of the Berlin Wall resulted in terrifying social effects, astonishing economic results, and corrupt political impacts throughout East Germany. Residents living in East Berlin were stunned and traumatized upon awakening… middle of paper… I was found guilty of criticizing the regime, which would have resulted in incarceration and possibly torture. When the Berlin Wall was built, East Germany entered a state of panic, fell into poverty, and adopted a communist government. The citizens of the GDR were filled with terror and anxiety when the border was built that separated them from friends, family and lovers. Many tried to escape but with each passing day the wall became more and more threatening. Trapped, the inhabitants of East Germany were forced to cope with shortages of goods, to accept that anyone could be a STASI spy, and to follow the rule of an oppressive government. Although conditions were grim, the people of the East banded together to survive. The wall is just a thing of the past, but it will always be remembered by every individual in Germany and the rest of the world.