Mauerfall

Hetalia © by Hidekaz Himaruya

Mauerfall = fall of the wall
Schwester = sister
Einigkeit = unity

Nyo!Prussia (Julchen/Maria) wears a uniform of the Nationale Volksarmee/NVA (ja, they do resemble the Wehrmacht).
Nyo!Germany (Monika/Luise) wears her green cloak for Himaruya's design, slightly customized by me.

(again, a crack fancomic... ^^ )

On the night of the 9th to the 10th November 1989, the Berliner Mauer or "Eiserner Vorhang" (Berlin Wall or "Iron Wall"), built by the DDR (GDR)/East Germany was overwhelmed by german peoples on both sides of the wall.
The Mauerfall (Fall of the Berlin Wall) cleared the path for the german reunification in 1990 and is the greatest symbol for the breakdown of the eastern block and the end of the Cold War.

There are tons of historically important details to tell about Germany's post-war developement (espc. the relationship of East and West), but I'll focus on the history concerning the Berlin Wall (even though it's not much present in the doujin).
Thus, events concerning Germany national and international political (e.g. the Paris Agrees or the Grundgesetz) or economical developement (e.g. the Marshal Plan or the "Wirtschaftwunder" of the 50's) won't be mentioned or explained.
Maybe I'll do an own work about that.

In 1945, after the Second World War had ended, the allies US, Great Britain, France and Soviet Union occupied Germany and divided it into four occupation zones. The western and south-eastern parts were divided among the western allies while the Soviet Union got the eastern part. Germany's capital city Berlin, which laid in the Soviet Zone, was correspindingly divided into four sectors, too.
Allied military commands took over administration in their respective zone. Soon, borderlines were drawn and special permits were needed to travel among the zones. A common Allied Control Council was formed for an inter-allied control over Germany.

However, soon after the Second World War was over, the Cold War between the democratic and capitalist "Western Block" and the communist "Eastern Block" broke out. Concerning Germany, there were disputes among the allies how to deal with the defeated nation, especially its future and reparations. While the Soviet Union insisted on heavy measurements, it was the nation which had suffered in the war the most, the western allies generally supported more moderate measurements but were not fully united, as well. The most important resolution in this had been the Potsdam Agreement from August 1945, in which the allies had agreed on how to deal with Germany geographically (new borderlines), economically (the reparations) and administratively (the occupation).
However, the western allies feared, the Soviet Union would gain more and more influence over Europe, since it had got a hold of the east-european countries after driving back the Germans. So Germany became the boderline between the Western and the Eastern Block and a main case in their power struggle.

In 1946-47, the common Bizone was formed out of the american and british occupation zone. France still resisted to join with its south-western zone (in February 1947, the german country of Prussia was abolished by Allied Control Council Law Nr. 46).
On the Londond Six Power Conference in 1948, the western allies came up with the idea of a seperate west-german state. The Soviet Uniond had not been invited. Therefore, the USSR left the common Allied Control Council, ending inter-allied administration of Germany.
In June 1948, the common Trizone was formed out of the Bizone and the french occupation zone, uniting the whole western-allied part of Germany. Some Germans called it Westzone or, for fun, "Trizonesien". In the same month, a new german currency, the Deutsch-Mark (D-Mark), was introduced in the Trizone. This had been not agreed with the Soviet Union, leading to the first real economical and political division of Germany.
Especially the citizens of Berlin were facing problems, when they lived in the Soviet Sector but worked in the Western Sector and vice versa. Their situation would only be getting worser, later.
As counter-measure, the ("Ost"-) Mark was introduced and the Soviet Union started the Berlin-Blockade, sealing off the western part of Berlin (remember, Berlin itself laid within the Soviet Zone). To secure the supply of the citizens of Western Berlin in order to prevent Berlin falling completely to the Soviets, the British and the US started the famous airlift. This eventuallly lead to the end of the blockade in May 1949.

On 23rd May 1949, the (west-german) democratic and capitalist "Bundesrepublik von Deutschland"/BRD (Federal Republic of Germany/FRG) was founded out of the Trizone.
On 7th October 1949, the (east-german) socialist "Deutsch-Demokratische Republik"/DDR (Germand Democratic Republic/GDR) was founded out of the Soviet Zone.
East-Berlin was made capital of the DDR while West-Berlin was handled as federal country by the BRD and Bonn was made its capital.

While the pre-war political parties, except for radical right like the NSDAP ("de-nazification") and radical-left like the KPD which were prohibited (which didn't prevent followers of founding a new party), were allowed in West Germany, the "Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands"/SED (Socialist Unity Party of Germany/SUP) was formed in East Germany and issued a leading role above the other parties.

In 1952, the DDR started securing the borderlines with barbed wire, blockades, lists, alarm systems and guards. Concerning Berlin, the border-installations ran right through the city.
However, many people, especially needed professional skill workers and young people, kept on leaving the DDR to seek better and less restricted employement and life in the BRD or just to unite with their families. Non-permissioned emigrants from the DDR were reffered to as "Republic-refugees" by the DDR. Thus, the east-german People's Police issued hevay controls on all borders. But the border was simply too vast to be fully controlled and many people left through the less secured borders of Czechoslovakia or Poland.
This soon posed a real problem for the east-german economy.

In 1959, the Soviet Union offered to announce Berlin a united and free city without any influence from the Western or Eastern Block in exchange for the recognition of the DDR as sovereign state (concerning german unity, the BRD didn't see the DDR as such, leading to e.g. their respective embassies being called "permanent/constant represantations". This attitude was changed, later on).   
However, the West declined.
Meanwhile, the DDR was shaken by inner crisis. Economy was unable to provide for the country and on average, several thousand people emigrated per day into the West. 

On 13th August 1961, the DDR started building up the border-wall. The nigt before, thousands of members of the NVA (National People's Army), the People's Police, the Border Police and the Combat Groups of the Workers had secured the areas for the building sites. Thousands of workers started building up the wall and border zones at as fast as possible. First blockades of e.g. barbed wire were isntalled, followed by pre-made concrete-pieces. The wall was improved and expanded step by step.

In the end, the Berlin Wall, dividing Berlin and sealing off East-Berlin as part of the inner-german border between the BRD and the DDR, was about 168 km long in total. In 1980, a full expanded part of the Berlin Wall consisted of the following (from East to West):
- backup area-wall of concrete or iron fence.
- signal-installations on the ground.
- high signal-fence with barbed wire.
- partial sheperd-dogs leashed to fixed wire, ground-barricades, anti-vehicle-trenches (or in the front part), anti-tank-hedgehogs.
- watch-towers with spotlights, column-paths (for reinforcements and supplies).
- path lightened by street lamps.
- control-grounds (always smoothed to immediately spot foot-steps).
- anti-vehicle-trenches (or in the back part).
- front-wall of pre-made reinforced concrete-pieces (over 3 m high, with round top to prevent grip). 
- a few meters of DDR-grounds.
Plus, there were partial automatic-triggered spring-guns and the border guards were ordered to shoot at any person trying to cross the border. 

At the beginning, one could cross the border by simply taking the metro from East to West Berlin. Later, there are many stories of dangerous attempts to cross the border, from simply driving through a list with a truck to tunnels, swimming through the Baltic Sea, sliding on a wire cable and a self-made balloon.

However, there are about 80-200 cases of people shot while committing the DDR-crime of crossing the Berlin Wall. These people are referred to as "Wall Deads", today.

The Brandenburger Gate stodd in the DDR-part of Berlin. The quadriga on its top was got turned to the opposite of its original direction. 
The Berlin Wall was referred to as the "Anti-Facist Protection Wall" by the DDR and the "Iron Curtain" by the BRD.

However, there were 25 official border-crossing points. The most popular is "Checkpoint Charlie".

Around 9th November 1989, plans by the DDR to restrictively open the Berlin Wall were slowly to be set in motion. However, during a press conference, a SED-chief announced free travel would be allowed starting right now.
This caused the media in East anbd West to falsely announce the opening of the wall, the same night. Due to this, several thousands citizens of East Berlin approcahed the border-crossing points, asking the guards to open them. However, the guards had not been instructed, yet, and still had order to shoot every person attempting to cross the border.
Luckily, the guards were wise enough to give in and opened the crossing points for a flood of East Berliners to enter the West.

On 1st July 1990, the west-german currency D-Mark was extended to the DDR, border control fully ended and the Berlin Wall's demolition started.

However, it was a hard and changeable way until the german re-unification and the breakdown of the Eastern Block. Especially the political realionship between BRD and DDR was a sensible case as was the process of the re-unification itself. Plus, not all Germans in East and West were happy with the re-unification or at least with its way.

The german federal countries of Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Sachsen (Saxony), Sacshen-Anhalt (Saxony-Anhalt) and Thüringen (Thuringia) were formed out of the former DDR, thus referred to as "new (federal-)countries". Berlin is a special case not counted to them.