Berlin

Definition

Berlin is the capital of Germany. It was a focal point during World War II and later during the Cold War when it was divided into East (Soviet controlled) and West (Allied controlled) sectors.

Analogy

Imagine your house being split down the middle with your sibling, you both have control over half of it but can't cross to the other side without permission. That's what happened to Berlin after WWII - it was divided between Soviet and Western Allies' control.

Related terms

Berlin Wall: A guarded concrete barrier that physically and ideologically divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989.

Cold War: A period of geopolitical tension between powers in the Eastern Bloc (the Soviet Union and its satellite states) and powers in the Western Bloc (the United States, its NATO allies).

Iron Curtain: A term popularized by Winston Churchill representing Europe's division between a mostly democratic Western Europe and a communist Eastern Europe.