Introduction

The history of Berlin is a history of triumph and tragedy. Berlin has been the site of great developments in art, literature, philosophy, and politics. Berlin has also opened its doors to the world, attracting a wide range of cultural diversity (beginning with granting of religious freedom to French Hugeonots in the 17th century). A cosmopolitan city that is defined by its diversity, Berlin has also been witness to the darkest hours of Western history. Book burnings, Nazi rallies, and "the Wall" all haunt Berlin's past.
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Early History of Berlin

This section will deal with the history of Berlin prior to German unification in 1871. As capital of the state of Brandenburg, and then kingdom of Prussia (before becoming capital of a united Germany), Berlin stood second only to Vienna in the Holy Roman Empire. Berlin began as the capital of the northen state of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire. Perhaps the turning point for Brandenburg and Berlin was the end of the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). Ravaging its fellow German states, Map of Holy Roman Empire

Brandenburg was able to seize this opportunity and rise to prominence in the Empire.

Over time, this role became so great as to put Lutheran Brandenburg in direct opposition to Catholic Austria for dominance in the Empire. The leaders of Brandenburg were called "Electors," which meant they could vote for the Holy Roman Emperor. Under Friedrich Wilhelm "the Great Elector" (1640-1688), Brandenburg began its development as a military state. The Great Elector realized Brandenburg's lack of resources (hence the name "the Sandbox of the Holy Roman Empire"), but saw military development as a chance to put Brandenburg on the map. Gaining clearance from the Holy Roman Emperor, Friedrich Wilhelm channeled all resources toward military development. His legacy would be continued by his sucessors (the Friedrichs, Wilhelms, and Friedrich Wilhelms).

In the 18th century, the state of Brandenburg became the kingdom of Prussia; continued military development became labeled "Prussianism." Yet to characterize Berlin's history as the heart of Prussianism would be a gross mistake. Under Friedrich the Second (or Fredrick the Great), Berlin became home to the Enlightenment. Fritz took great interest in Enlightenment culture and politics, serving as patron to both the arts and to various "philosophes" in refuge (such as Voltaire). In the following century, Berlin would attract the minds of GWF Hegel, the Brothers Grimm, Alexander von Humboldt (who developed German pedagogy), and most notably Karl Marx. This list can serve only as a small indication of the much deeper cultural and intellectual history of Berlin. Berlin in the 20th century would once again see an intellectual flourishing, with the likes of Einstein, Brecht, and many others.
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German Unification and the "Second Reich" (1871-1914)

Intellectual historians often characterize Otto von Bismarck

the 18th century as the "Age of Enlightenment" and the 19th century as the "Age of Romanticism." Yet with Romanticism comes Nationalism. Identification with one's people and one's land is a docile form of nationalist sentiment...however, when set to a military march, Nationalism takes an ugly form. After centuries of failed unity, the nationalistic fervor that swept 19th century Europe provided the final impetus for German unity.

With the unification of Germany in 1871 under the "Iron Chancellor" Otto von Bismarck,Germany become one of the strongest nations in the world. Bismarck used tactics of militarism and nationalism to bring the often divided German states under the unity of Prussia. The history of pre-German Germany (i.e. the Holy Roman Empire) gave precedent to Austria for the role of German unitor. As the source of every Holy Roman Emperor (minus one), Austria seemed the natural candidate to unite Germany. However, it would be Berlin that would assume the role. And in 1871, Berlin became the capital of a unified German State.
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WWI, Weimar, and WWII

WWI brought about drastic changes for the German Empire, but also for the city of Berlin in particular. The First World War brought the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II (Kaiser Bill)and an end to more than 500 years of the Hohenzollern dynasty. After the war, Berlin stood for a symbol of German militarism and Prussian agression. Thus, for diplomatic reasons, Weimar became the capital of the newly founded German Republic.

However, Berlin was not left as a lifeless shell; instead, poltical groups of every orientation organized, fascists clashed with communists in the street, and those who could care less about politics spend every last cent (or "pfenig") on the lavish lifestyle Berlin had to offer. In a world where today's pay check might not buy tomorrow's bread (i.e. daily inflation destroyed any economic consistency), one was left with no choice but to flaunt what one got. The uncertainty of tomorrow meant living lavishly tonight. And in the cultural underground of cabarets, jazz clubs, and dada theatres, one had not far to look to find a pay check's worth of entertainment.

The cosmopolitan face of 1920's Berlin blindly staggered into the brick wall of the 1930's Nazism. Rising economic problems (caused by the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles) set a fertile ground for the politics of resentment. By 1932 the Nazis controlled the Reichstag. The 1933 Reichstag fire (the source is still debated) allowed Hitler to blame the communists for "un-German" activity, and thereby secure their expulsion form the government. Soon after, the left wing moved closer to the right, as socialists, social democrats, and finally any opposition party was run out of government. The Enabling Law gave the Nazi Party full power to run the government in the moment of crisis. Under the Nazis, Berlin's strong cultural and intellectual traditions was subjected to the straight jacket of authoritarianism.

By 1945, most of Berlin's Jewish population of 60,000 were not alive. In April of 1945, the Battle of Berlin (a Soviet Invasion) would mark the end of the city's executive position. After the war, 90% of the city had been destroyed. Pre-War Potsdamer Platz (the "Times Square" of the 1920's) was rubble. The city had fallen and taken Germany with it.
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Two Berlins

With the end of WWII, occupation of Berlin began. The Yalta Conference carved Berlin into 4 military "zones" divided between the Soviets, British, American, and French. The fate of Berlin depended upon Western-Soviet relations, which were precarious and political at best. In 1948, the Soviets attempted a blockade of West Berlin, in hopes of starving the city of Western support. Berlin Wall in 1989

If the Soviets could isolate the island of Western Berlin from the Western mainland, annexation of West Berlin into the Soviet sector could be achieved. Yet for strategic and symbolic reasons, the West needed to maintain the independence of West Berlin. So began the Berlin Airlift.

The British and the Americans led daily flights into the city, overcoming the Soviets attempts to severe contact. After the success of the airlift, the Berliners regarded the West as allies. In 1949, two separate German states formed: in the West the Bundes Republik Deutschland (BRD) and in the East the Deutsche Demokratisch Republik (DDR).

In 1952, diplomatic connections between the two Germanies were severed, leading to even greater isolation of West Berlin. The mass exodus of 1953 (from east to west) meant stricter restrictions on migration. East Berlin saw itself losing its future, as the young, educated, and skilled were leaving the east for the west. On 15 August 1961, under Walter Ulbrecht, the building of the Wall (Berlin Mauer) began.

The Wall would end the free movement of East Berliners, and East Germans, until its fall in 1989. West Berlin became a remote and isolated city, yet found for itself a cultural revival. West Berlin became almost a world onto itself, a shade of lively city it once was. Echoes of the past Berlin were still present, although the new (West) Berlin stood alone in the alien and hostile waters of a communist sea.
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Berlin Today

With the fall of the wall on 9 November 1989, the process of German Reunification began. As the symbolic heart of the divide, the reunity of Berlin initiated (at least symbolically) the fall of Communism. Two main factors caused (or reflected a deeper cause of) the fall of the wall. First, the reforms of Gorbachev in the Soviet Union weakened the orthodox backbone that supported East German politics for so long. Gorby left the East Germans to settle their own affairs. No longer would the Soviets aid East Germany in settling discontment with the population. And second, suspension of travel restriction by Hungary in the summer of 1989 meant East Germans could reach the West German embassy in Hungary, and thus flee to the west.

In early November 1989, 500,000 demonstrators gathered in Alexanderplatz in East Berlin to protest East German travel restrictions. The Rebuilding of Potsdamer Platz Soon after, on 9 November, the floodgates opened and "the Wall fell." The world stood in shock (and awe) as the German people tore down the strongest Cold War relic, and demanded an end to the containment.

The fall of the Wall would eventually mean a reunification of Germany. By a small majority (338 to 320), in 1991 members of the Bundestag voted in favor of moving the Federal government back to Berlin, a decision that sets many Germans ill at ease (due to the varied past with Berlin as capital).

Berlin of today is a dynamic city, which defines and re-defines itself at each moment. It is both the city of the future (in my humble yet correct opinion), and also the playground of global capitalism. The latter can be seen in the rebuilding of the destroyed Potsdamer Platz; as part of "no man's land" during the days of the wall, Potsdamer Platz is now the site major development by international corporations (Cheap real estate!!).

Berlin is a must see for travelers of all ages.
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