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The Berlin Wall
‘[Berlin] was, at the time, politically turbulent, emotionally charged, and unceasingly eventful. I have sought to capture the drama of that traumatic moment, as well as to tell the story of the Wall, and of the circumstances that led up to and grew from the construction of that gruesome monument to human discord.’
Grim and forbidding, the Wall snaked through the city of Berlin like the backdrop to a nightmare. Tears have been shed here, curses uttered, threats snarled, blood spilled, lives snuffed out.
The Berlin Wall was an awkward thing, outlandish and unloved, a barrier planted clear across the middle of the largest city between Paris and Moscow. It was the most dramatic example of the political architecture of modern times.
Norman Gelb, writing before the Wall came down, tells how the Wall grew from the confusions of the post-war years.
How the Soviet Union and the Western powers shared an uneasy occupation of the capital city of their humbled wartime enemy, and how the Berlin Wall set the stage for the Cold War.
He describes the grim episodes on the way towards the final division of the city — the Berlin blockade, the bloody East Berlin workers’ uprising, and the mass migration westward of East German refugees through Berlin.
He shows how this humiliating exodus, which threatened the stability of the entire Soviet East European empire, could be stopped only by the building of the Berlin Wall.
The story is one of power politics and global brinkmanship, of hawks and doves, of brilliant calculation and an intelligence failure of dazzling proportions.
It is about the confrontation over Berlin between John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev — two of the most exciting political personalities — and about how the building of the Wall graduated into a nuclear showdown between the superpowers.
Norman Gelb was there on that August night when Berlin was broken in two, and his personal experiences help define the tragedy of the divided city. Though it represented failure to both sides, the Berlin Wall dissected one of the great cities of Europe, enfolding and quarantining the only island of political freedom to survive behind Communist lines.
‘A solid documentary history, told in fine style.’ – Kirkus Reviews
‘nicely evokes the mood of the city and the face-off between Moscow and Washington that many feared might lead to war. He switches deftly between the grand dramas that were played out in Washington and Moscow and the fears and not inconsiderable heroism of the Berliners themselves.’ – New York Times
‘We now have an accurate account It is the first one to get it right’. — Group Captain Dennis David
‘Deftly combining interviews, speeches, news reports, military communications and occasional unobtrusive narrative, Gelb presents a many-sided picture of war that reflects the feeling of the battle’ — New York Times
“Norman Gelb demonstrates in Dunkirk how productive it is to focus on an individual operation or battle … Dunkirk is both a good adventure read and an instructive case study yielding modern lessons.” — John Lehman, Former Secretary of the Navy, The Wall Street Journal
“Norman Gelb finds fresh angles … Dunkirk stands as an exemplar of the perils of vacillation and the possibilities of action.” — The New York Times Book Review
Norman Gelb (b.1929) was born in New York and is the author of seven highly acclaimed books, including Scramble, Dunkirk, and Less Than Glory. He was, for many years, correspondent for the Mutual Broadcasting System, first in Berlin and then in London. He is currently the London correspondent for New Leader magazine.
Grim and forbidding, the Wall snaked through the city of Berlin like the backdrop to a nightmare. Tears have been shed here, curses uttered, threats snarled, blood spilled, lives snuffed out.
The Berlin Wall was an awkward thing, outlandish and unloved, a barrier planted clear across the middle of the largest city between Paris and Moscow. It was the most dramatic example of the political architecture of modern times.
Norman Gelb, writing before the Wall came down, tells how the Wall grew from the confusions of the post-war years.
How the Soviet Union and the Western powers shared an uneasy occupation of the capital city of their humbled wartime enemy, and how the Berlin Wall set the stage for the Cold War.
He describes the grim episodes on the way towards the final division of the city — the Berlin blockade, the bloody East Berlin workers’ uprising, and the mass migration westward of East German refugees through Berlin.
He shows how this humiliating exodus, which threatened the stability of the entire Soviet East European empire, could be stopped only by the building of the Berlin Wall.
The story is one of power politics and global brinkmanship, of hawks and doves, of brilliant calculation and an intelligence failure of dazzling proportions.
It is about the confrontation over Berlin between John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev — two of the most exciting political personalities — and about how the building of the Wall graduated into a nuclear showdown between the superpowers.
Norman Gelb was there on that August night when Berlin was broken in two, and his personal experiences help define the tragedy of the divided city. Though it represented failure to both sides, the Berlin Wall dissected one of the great cities of Europe, enfolding and quarantining the only island of political freedom to survive behind Communist lines.
‘A solid documentary history, told in fine style.’ – Kirkus Reviews
‘nicely evokes the mood of the city and the face-off between Moscow and Washington that many feared might lead to war. He switches deftly between the grand dramas that were played out in Washington and Moscow and the fears and not inconsiderable heroism of the Berliners themselves.’ – New York Times
‘We now have an accurate account It is the first one to get it right’. — Group Captain Dennis David
‘Deftly combining interviews, speeches, news reports, military communications and occasional unobtrusive narrative, Gelb presents a many-sided picture of war that reflects the feeling of the battle’ — New York Times
“Norman Gelb demonstrates in Dunkirk how productive it is to focus on an individual operation or battle … Dunkirk is both a good adventure read and an instructive case study yielding modern lessons.” — John Lehman, Former Secretary of the Navy, The Wall Street Journal
“Norman Gelb finds fresh angles … Dunkirk stands as an exemplar of the perils of vacillation and the possibilities of action.” — The New York Times Book Review
Norman Gelb (b.1929) was born in New York and is the author of seven highly acclaimed books, including Scramble, Dunkirk, and Less Than Glory. He was, for many years, correspondent for the Mutual Broadcasting System, first in Berlin and then in London. He is currently the London correspondent for New Leader magazine.
- GenresHistoryNonfictionGermany
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 20, 2014
A good focused history on the construction of the Berlin Wall with an emphasis on the 1960s. The author captured the feel of the city and the tensions of the day. Only drawback was the references to names of government officials and other sources. Some of the references would have been better in footnotes or bibliography as they slowed down the reading a bit. This is only a minor drawback.
The book has a forward tacked on about the fall of the wall, but the book's contents were written prior to that date and you will find nothing else about the end of the wall in it. The book has fueled my interest in reading more about this time period.
The book has a forward tacked on about the fall of the wall, but the book's contents were written prior to that date and you will find nothing else about the end of the wall in it. The book has fueled my interest in reading more about this time period.
February 16, 2020
Very interesting history of the Berlin Wall. However I think it was way too long and needed editing. It also seem to jump around in time. It was hard to follow in some chapters.
November 22, 2024
Great critique on the Berlin Wall
I enjoyed this extensive study of the American-Soviet tensions during the early phase of the wall, the political tensions promulgated as a result of the bluffing and counter-bluffing between Kennedy and Khrushchev during the height of the Berlin crisis in 1961 onwards, leading almost to the brink of world war. It is difficult to imagine how a wall, so visibly apparent in a previously united City, could have brought with it such deeply endured ramifications for the ordinary lives contained within its confines, and in the context of the cold war narrative.
I thought that Norman Gelb has woven the complex dynamic of these times into a compelling masterpiece of written commentary of this extraordinary city, in an extraordinary time of our more recent history.
I enjoyed this extensive study of the American-Soviet tensions during the early phase of the wall, the political tensions promulgated as a result of the bluffing and counter-bluffing between Kennedy and Khrushchev during the height of the Berlin crisis in 1961 onwards, leading almost to the brink of world war. It is difficult to imagine how a wall, so visibly apparent in a previously united City, could have brought with it such deeply endured ramifications for the ordinary lives contained within its confines, and in the context of the cold war narrative.
I thought that Norman Gelb has woven the complex dynamic of these times into a compelling masterpiece of written commentary of this extraordinary city, in an extraordinary time of our more recent history.
November 22, 2021
In recent years I have been very interested in the evolving history of Germany since World War 2 as it has been a key period which set in place the building blocks for the main world events of the subsequent years. This book by Norman Gelb is very good. It is colourful in expression and detailed in the events it covers, particularly during the 'Berlin Airlift' and the Kennedy Presidency and the subsequent failure of the Khrushchev high stake bluffs including the Cuban Missile Crisis. If you like to read about recent history this is the book for you.
August 3, 2020
I was looking for a little more on the building of the wall itself, but in retrospect, I can see how the Soviets and East Germans weren't exactly giving interviews and blueprints. Gelb does a good job of not edifying the oft deified Kennedy administration. (I'm a fan, but I knew there had to be a few missteps along the way without going into a complete hatchet job like The Dark Side of Camelot). It's probably a great read for people so disgusted with capitalism that Marxism looks appealing.
February 5, 2018
I found this book compelling and hard to put down. I was only a child when the wall went up so I never really understood its significance. I also never understood how it related to the Cuban Missile Crisis. This book clearly explains the developments leading up to the wall and its importance to both sides.
May 30, 2018
If there is one book about berlin that you should read, i would recommend this one.
I actually included berlin in my euro trip after reading this book.
I actually included berlin in my euro trip after reading this book.
August 7, 2018
3.5 stars
March 27, 2018
A good book, well written & kept my interest alive, even though it was on a reasonably "dry subject."
But then I find all the books that I have read so far authored by Norman Gelb to hold my interest, albeit some more than others.
Captain Dady J. Mody
But then I find all the books that I have read so far authored by Norman Gelb to hold my interest, albeit some more than others.
Captain Dady J. Mody
September 14, 2011
It is a great book going from the time almost directly after World War 2 and goes up to the time that the wall fell and the Soviet Union disbanded. This book is perfect for people who like reading nonfiction books. That is why it was the perfect book for me. It is told through the eyes of the author who reflects back to the time that he had spent in West Germany. He describes the views of both sides, Communist and Democratic. I am going to be making a diorama for the project that will show a small portion of the berlin wall and which countries were affected by it like France and England.
November 21, 2016
The story of the Berlin wall's imposition, largely from the impact on American domestic politics. Contains some interesting points.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews