Debunking Myths and Shedding Light on Facts about the Berlin Wall - Link Roundup
An oft-misunderstood subject matter that has been made cheap fodder for imperialist and anti-Soviet propaganda is the Berlin Wall, which stood from 1961 to 1989. One of the most common misconceptions -- or rather, widespread myths -- is that West Germany was in need of protection, re-arming, and was the "victim" of "East German and Soviet aggression," and that the wall was supposedly a symbol of "communist oppression" and proof of a " totalitarian Iron Curtain". In reality, the wall was built for the defense, security, and protection of the independent East Germany (the German Democratic Republic, or GDR) from the threats coming from West Germany, who were essentially NATO proxy forces and were led by a Western-backed puppet government. There were also fears coming from the GDR of a return or resurgence of Fascism.
As was already mentioned in my previous blog entry, "NATO, a Brief History," the political partitioning of Germany was supposed to be temporary and the entire country was to be 'de-Nazified', as was stated in the 1945 Potsdam agreement. The United States and its allies broke that promise, and violated German sovereignty when they sided with reactionary factions that wanted to split the country and propped up the puppet government of West Germany -- which included several ex-Nazi officials in positions of power. The U.S. also decided to re-arm West Germany and invited it to become a member of NATO. The CIA even employed ex-Nazi officials as spies during the Cold War to assist the United States in its efforts to destroy the Soviet Union.
For further study on the subject matter, here is a recommended list of sources:
- Ralf Beste et al, "The Role Ex-Nazis Played in Early West Germany"
- German Propaganda Archive, "What You Should Know About the Wall"
- Stephen Gowans, "Democracy, East Germany and the Berlin Wall"
- Eric Lichtblau, "In Cold War, U.S. Spy Agencies Used 1,000 Nazis"
- Nikos Mottas, "The Berlin Wall and bourgeois lies"
- RT (editorial staff), "Over 50% of W. Germany’s senior justice ministry officials in 1950-70s were ex-Nazis – govt report"
- Jason Unruhe, "Why The Berlin Wall was Created" (video)
- Vesti News, "The West Destroyed Everything: East Germans Can’t Forget the Disastrous Reunification Process" (video, with English subtitles)
- Ian Welsh, "Happiness and Freedom: East German Version"
*More may be added in the future.
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