Brandenburg Gate

Definition

The Brandenburg Gate is a neoclassical monument in Berlin, built on the orders of Prussian king Frederick William II. It has served as a symbol of both division and unity throughout Germany's history.

Analogy

Think of the Brandenburg Gate like your school's main entrance. It's where everyone comes together, it represents your school to outsiders, and it has seen many generations pass through - both good times and bad.

Related terms

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

Cold War: As mentioned above, a period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union with its satellite states (the Eastern Bloc), and the United States with its allies (the Western Bloc) after World War II.

Reunification of Germany: The process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic became part of the Federal Republic of Germany to form the reunited nation of Germany.