East Berlin: A Land Deprived of Basic Human Rights

Phillip Bertovic Junior Division Individual Website

After World War II, Germany was left in ruins. West Berlin was being renovated was slowly becoming prosperous while East Berlin was dilapidated and gloomy. Each year of thousands were abandoning East Berlin and moving into West Berlin. This topic relates to this years National History Day topic is because the Soviet Union thought they could get away with all but imprisoning their own citizens. The reason I chose this topic as this years National History Day was because East Berliners were denied passage out of their own half of their city and forced to stay in their own country. If they broke these laws, they were prosecuted or even killed. When researching, I obtained a much of information from documentaries and websites. I found some information from books, mostly some quotes and statistics. The most useful source was The Berlin Wall Documentary on the Berlin Wall from Construction to Destruction. Even though the three documentaries provided much information, they were very similar. All of them portrayed daring escape stories. Another helpful source was coldwar.org, a useful site about the Cold War, which was used to construct the timeline. While conducting research, I did not specifically encounter many problems that set my research behind. I was slightly disappointed that I failed to locate documents explaining conditions written by the German Democratic Republic about West Germany or West Berlin. If I would have found documents, I most likely have needed to find a quality translation. I found a script from a film series called British Calendar which displayed a descriptive picture of the landscape with the Berlin Wall. I concluded my research; I found I had an abundant amount of resources on my topic to construct an informative website. My website fits this years National History Day topic because it really explains the Soviet Unions brutality in a sense they trapped people to stay in a dilapidated and economically

disadvantaged society. The Berlin Wall overall changed the landscape in a sense that the German Democratic Republic tried to split a city the size of Philadelphia into two parts. They constructed a wall that separated friends, families, and peoples livelihoods. Unfortunately, people were killed because they wanted to be with families and friends. Still, today, the city of Berlin still bears the scars of those unpleasant and menacing years the Berlin Wall was in use.

Annotated Bibliography Primary Sources Admin. Tourist Guide Top 10 Places To Visit Germany Brandenburg Gate. Digital image. Http://tariqmcom.com. N.p., 29 July 2013. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. This is an image of the Brandenburg Gate at night. A newspaper about Germany quitting World War II. Digital image. Http://www.jcs-group.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. This picture shows a newspaper headline after D-Day. Berlin Wall- East Side Gallery. Digital image. Http://grazography.wordpress.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. This is a picture of the Berlin Wall's East Side Gallery Berlin Wall Memorial. Digital image. Vacintegrated.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. This picture is a picture of the Berlin Wall Memorial Site. Building and Development of the Berlin Wall. Digital image. Berlin.de. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. This is a picture of the Brandenburg Gate and the Berlin Wall Carter, Chris. Komm Rber! Digital image. Victoryinstitute.net. N.p., 15 Sept. 2011. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. This is a picture of a soldier throwing down his gun and escaping into West Berlin. Checkpoint Charlie. Digital image. Http://images.wikia.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. This is a picture of Checkpoint Charlie. Construction of the Berlin Wall in August 1961. Digital image. Http://timpanogos.wordpress.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. This is yet another picture showing the Berlin Wall being built. Crimean Conference 1945. Digital image. Perekop.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.

This picture shows the people attending the Yalta Conference. Crowded Meeting Room at the Potsdam Conference. Digital image. Http://historiana.eu. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. This picture is another one of a crowded meeting room at the Potsdam Conference. DDR-Wachturm Am Potsdamer Platz VisitBerlin. Digital image. Visitberlin.de. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. This is a picture of a GDR watchtower. Die Mauer/The Wall - Asisi Panorama Foto: Tom Schulze, Asisi. Digital image. Visitberlin.de. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. This picture shows the Asisi Panorama at the Berlin Wall. East Side Gallery: Berlin Wall Art. Digital image. Http://germanyaustria2011.wordpress.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014. This shows another picture of the East Side Gallery at the Berlin Wall. German Flag. Digital image. Http://www.policyperiscope.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. This is a picture of the German flag. Harry S. Truman Photo Gallery. Digital image. History.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. This picture shows Harry S. Truman at the Potsdam Conference. Heller, Deane, and David Heller. The Berlin Wall. Toronto: George J. McLeod, 1962. Print. This is a very informative book on the Berlin Wall. "Ich Bin Ein Berliner" - John F. Kennedy in Germany 1963. Digital image. Vimeo. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. This picture shows John F. Kennedy giving a speech at the Berlin Wall. "Ich Bin Ein Berliner" Www.Youtube.com. AmericanExperience, 17 Oct. 2013. Web. 7 Jan. 2014.

This is the video of John F. Kennedy's famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech. "Modern Marvels The Berlin Wall." YouTube. History Channel, 16 July 2013. Web. 30 Dec. 2013. This is yet another great source that explains the Berlin Wall. Moskalev, Sergei. Berlin Wall: 28 Years of Confrontation. Digital image. Voanews.com. N.p., 12 Aug. 2011. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. This is a picture of the Berlin Wall being constructed. Park Inn by Radisson Berlin Alexanderplatz. Digital image. Germany.travel.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2014. The is a picture of Alexanderplatz. Peter Fechter at the Berlin Wall (August 17, 1962). Digital image. Http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. This image shows Peter Fechter at the Berlin Wall. Photo Gallery: The Berlin Wall, Then and Now. Digital image. Spiegel.de. N.p., 3 Nov. 2009. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. This is a picture of a watch tower in the Berlin Wall. Photo Il Muro ( East Side Gallery ). Digital image. Http://www.placesonline.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. This is yet another picture of the East Side Gallery of the Berlin Wall. Pleitgen, Frederik. Postcard: Why Berlin, America Are Kindred Spirits. Digital image. Cnn.com. N.p., 19 Oct. 2012. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. This shows a picture of John F. Kennedy giving a speech at the Berlin Wall. Potsdam Conference (1945). Alpha History, 2013. Video. YouTube.com. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. This video will provide some footage from the Potsdam Conference.

Psalm 2: The Berlin Wall Is Coming Down! Digital image. Http://psalmslife.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. This is a picture of the Berlin Wall being torn down. "Ronald Reagan Speech Tear Down This Wall at the Brandenburg Gate." YouTube. Best Videos Ever, 17 Feb. 2013. Web. 09 Jan. 2014. This will be a great video to add to the website of one of President Ronald Reagans' famous speeches. Schick, Jack M. The Berlin Crisis, 1958-1962. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 1971. Print. This is a very informative book on the Berlin Crisis. Smyser, W. R. Kennedy and the Berlin Wall: "a Hell of a Lot Better than a War" Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009. Books.google.com. 16 Sept. 2009. Web. 7 Jan. 2014. This book is a good source that explains John F. Kennedy's involvement in the Berlin Wall. Stasimuseum Berlin, John Steer. Digital image. Visitberlin.de. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. This is a picture of the Stasi Museum. Stiftung Haus Der Geschichte Der BRD. Digital image. Visitberlin.de. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. This is a picture of the Palace of Tears in Berlin. The Berlin Airlift June 27, 1948 to May 12, 1949. Digital image. Trumanlibrary.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. This image shows a picture of the Berlin Airlift. The Berlin Wall. Digital image. Bbc.co.uk. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014. This picture shows a guard at the Berlin Wall guarding the East side while people watch in the West.

"The Berlin Wall Documentary on the Berlin Wall from Construction to Destruction." YouTube.com. N.p., 04 Sept. 2013. Web. 18 Dec. 2013. This is a great source that gives a good timeline of the Berlin Wall. "The Big Three" : Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt Meet (1945). WarArchives, 2011. Transcript. YouTube.com. British Pathe. Web. 26 Jan. 2014. This will be a great video for the Yalta Conference page on the website. The Death Strip. Digital image. Rnw.nl. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. This image provides an image of the "Death Strip." "THE HISTORY OF THE BERLIN WALL (Full Documentary)." YouTube. YouTube, 28 Aug. 2013. Web. 14 Dec. 2013. This is a great documentary about the Berlin Wall that explains the whole history of it. This is a map of East and West Berlin. Digital image. Http://althistory.wikia.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2014. This is an an animated map of East and West Germany. This is a map of East and West Germany. Digital image. Http://althistory.wikia.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2014. This is a well animated map of East and West Berlin. This is a picture of Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin. Digital image. Http://berlin.pinkbigmac.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014. This is an image that depicts the Charlottenburg Palace This is a picture of the Allied Museum. Digital image. Visitberlin.de. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014. This is a picture of the allied museum in Berlin. This is a picture of the DDR museum. Digital image. Visitberlin.de. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014.

This picture shows the DDR museum in Berlin. This is a picture of the Death Strip. Digital image. Http://www.nationalcoldwarexhibition.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. This is a picture of the Berlin Wall's "Death Strip." This picture shows the Berlin Airlift. Digital image. Dhm.de. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. This picture shows the Berlin Airlift. This picture shows the first generation Berlin Wall. Digital image. Http://arcticcompass.blogspot.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. This picture depicts the first generation Berlin Wall. Treptower Park. Digital image. Tunnel.ru. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2014. This is a picture of a statue at Treptower Park. U.S. troops disembark from a landing vehicle on Utah Beach on the coast of Normandy, France in June of 1944. Carcasses of destroyed vehicles litter the beach. (Regional Council of BasseNormandie/U.S. National Archives). Digital image. Boston.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. This is a very nice picture of D-Day. Yalta 1945. Digital image. Perekop.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014. This picture shows some of the leaders involved in the conference. Secondary Sources "Berlin Crisis." Future.state.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2014. This source from the internet gives some more information about the Berlin Crisis and the involvement from other countries from around the world. "Berlin Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014. This will give a good set of quotes from that time era about the Berlin Wall.

"Berlin Time Line: 1945 - 1990 Berlin Wall Time Line Starts August 1961." Cold War Museum.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Jan. 2014. This provides a second source for a Berlin Wall timeline. "Berlin Wall." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2013. This source would provide a good, brief summary of what the Berlin Wall was. "Cold Wall The Berlin Wall 1961." Nationalarchives.gov.uk. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2014. This is a great document that tells first-hand conditions about the Berlin Wall. "Exhibit: Kennedy at the Berlin Wall." Archives.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2014. This is a fundamental quote said during the life of Berlin Wall. "Famous Quotes Cold War." History in an Hour. N.p., 22 Nov. 2011. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. This source will also provide good quotes for the website about the time period. Grabianoski, Ed. "How the Berlin Wall Worked." HowStuffWorks. N.p., 12 May 2008. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. This will be yet another great source because it provides a lot of information about the beginnings of the wall. Mapbox.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. This website will be put to good use to design the interactive map on the website. Risberg, Katie. "Berlin Wall." Chicago Tribune. N.p., 17 Dec. 1999. Web. 9 Jan. 2014. This is a good article that explains some first-hand accounts from the Berlin Wall. Scribd.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. This website will be useful in displaying the documents on the website. "The Berlin Crisis, 19581961 - 19531960 - Milestones - Office of the Historian." History.state.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

This source will provide a good summary of what the Berlin Crisis was. "The Potsdam Conference, 1945." History.state.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. This is a web source that explains what happened at the Potsdam Conference. "Timeline - History of Berlin Wall." Dailysoft.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Jan. 2014. This provides a great timeline of the events before the Berlin Wall. Timetoast.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2014. This website will make the timeline used in the website. "The Yalta Conference, 1945." History.state.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. This source explains what happened at the Yalta Conference.