A History of Berlin

Before "Red Germany" and Nazism came the radical ideas stemmed from artists and propagandists bringing to light the lives of those in power. World War One had just ended and those in poverty could be seen across the country shivering in the cold waiting for their daily soup and bread. Karl Marx soon after became an icon for Germany, bringing his ideas of communism and ways to help improve the lives of those everywhere and anywhere. Alongside him was Rosa Luxemburg who, with her ideas strewn across the people became a reason to rebel. Commoners in Berlin soon started to rise up and destroy what they could to prove that they would not stand for what the new Kaiser was trying to enforce as law. They created propaganda to put up around the city with a famous poem stating: "Berlin, you dance with Death". Their actions left the Kaiser with no choice but to take up ideas from Frederick the Great, allowing volunteer citizens to act as police officers. He ordered them to flood the streets and take back the city under his command. This led the city to follow its history and divide among itself.
As with the history, Germany had once been led by a king named Frederick the Great; a two-sided man who ruled both with his flute music as well as an iron fist. His military styles were taken on very appreciatively by many leaders throughout history; one of which included Hitler who carried around a painting of Frederick with him everywhere he went. What's more is that on Hitler's last day he had his special pilot take the painting with him before Hitler and his wife force fed their children capsules of cyanide while asleep, then proceeded to take their own lives. But, as such, Frederick ruled in a beautiful palace built with lavish furniture and decadent artwork. He was a man who lived as he pleased and enjoyed being who he was. He was also a man who was not to be taken lightly by any means. As an example, his son and son's best friend were about to run away to Britain but were ratted out. As punishment Frederick the Great threw his own son in jail and forced him to watch the beheading of his best friend through the bars of his cell. Soon afterwards Frederick craved for more land and war. He fought against Saxon, Austria, France and various other rulers for more and more land. Frederick was a tyrant on the battlefield but every night could be heard playing beautiful pieces on his flute.
Berlin really started with Frederick the Great and his two-sided personality, and continued with its history of being a divided city. After Hitler and his family had been pronounced dead, soon afterwards Berlin became a real divided city into East and West Berlin. West Berlin moved towards Capitalism and East Berlin towards Communism. With Russia and other powers ruling over East Berlin, the Berlin Wall slowly started to be built. And with the Brandenburg Gate as the actual entrance into East Berlin, the communists who shunned Hitler's Nazism tore down Frederick the Great's statue off the top. Citizens who once could walk through the whole city now literally had to choose which side they supported and move to live in. West Berlin who continued their relatively normal way of life, and East Berlin who slowly gave up more and more of their freedom and, many times, their lives due to the harsh restrictions and communistic way of life.

"Berlin, you dance with Death"

Frederick the Great's statue

Brandenburg Tor

Frederick the Great's gravestone