On June 12, 1987, former United States president Ronald Reagan delivered a speech which would later prove to be one of the most significant and influential appeals in democratic and socialist history alike. His speech, commonly named after a direct quote from the address, “Tear Down This Wall!”, was made at a time where tensions between East and West Berlin were at an all-time high. For over twenty years, residents of the same city were divided and oppressed by a wall encompassed by Soviet soldiers. Communist-dominated East-Berlin constructed the twelve-foot wall in order to prevent their citizens from escaping into democratic West-Berlin. This very wall was a direct symbol of communist-democratic tensions taking place elsewhere: The United States and the former Soviet Union. This major period of tension between these two world-powers, also known as the “Cold War”, influenced Ronald Reagan to seek peace and compromise by speaking to the world, and more specifically West-Berlin, ordering them to destroy the wall which separated the capital city of modern-day Germany. Although immediate success was not apparent, Ronald Reagan proved to play a major key in the destruction of the Berlin wall just over two years later. However, with this victory and the construction of an oversized wall seeming primitive after the fact, one may see that this trend or condition is still apparent in other parts of the world, such as Israel and Palestine.

The Berlin wall was a symbol of Cold War tension and separation in both a literal and metaphorical sense. Robert Spencer, in his International Journal called Berlin, The Blockade, and The Cold War, examines the affects that the Berlin Wall and Berlin itself had on the Cold War. He begins by highlighting the drastic political repercussions immediately following the second world war. In this, he describes it to be the most dramatic and dangerous political confrontation of Allied history. With the defeat of the communist party in Berlin carries a lasting tension between democratic countries such as the United States, and communist nations such as the former Soviet Union and North Korea today. 

Robert Spencer is correct in saying that the wall served as a physical reminder of the increasing tensions both within Germany and across the Atlantic Ocean. Approximately fifteen years following the second World War, former United States President John F. Kennedy attended a summit in Vienna, Austria in hopes to build trust with an increasingly hostile Soviet Union. Not only did this meeting prove unsuccessful, but it increased tension between the two countries and ultimately resulted in the construction of the Berlin Wall nearly two months later. Now, the Cold War, being non-combatant, had something to show for itself. With the United States rights in Europe being threatened, citizens of Germany being oppressed and divided, and the development of nuclear warfare in enemy territories, the United States saw themselves in one of the, if not the most threatening time periods in history.

In more recent history, the United States has become more and more involved in the conflicts surrounding Israel and Palestine. Ironically, these two territories are also separated by a daunting wall. On one side, the Israeli’s see it as a safety measure, while the Palestinians on the latter side are feeling its oppressive effects. Samer Alatout published a journal regarding the West Bank wall in Israel, and how it has now become a technology of the government. As the Israeli government aims to isolate peace in its own land, it is pushing conflict and violence towards the Palestine region. 

This “New Berlin Wall” located in the southwestern corner of the Mediterranean, shares many similarities with the blockade in Germany during the Cold War. Quite literally, it is a barricade that separates two neighboring governments with opposing political and social ideals. However, on a deeper level, one can see that the motivations for building this wall are shockingly identical. One side is attempting to control peace and sovereignty within the entire area. Simultaneously, those within the wall of oppression are trapped, just as the East German’s were until 1989. As the Berlin Wall came to an end after almost thirty years of use, one can only wonder when the West Bank barrier will crumble under the same pressure. 

Political and social relations between all nations involved in World War II, both Axis and Ally, accumulated to be a giant house of tension and uncertainty. This worldwide pressure and anxiety caused some leaders to seek immediate peace, just as Ronald Reagan did. On the other hand, such uneasiness drove powerful leaders to make radical decisions in order to preserve their own ideals and regimes. Although the actions of the Cold War took place many decades ago, one may still see the same political and social trends in regions such as Israel, the Middle East, and North Korea. Ultimately, it is up to the democratic leaders of the world to ensure that all citizens are safe and maintained within a nation centered on its citizens well-being. 
