Crowd at Rally in Berlin 1953

Description

Crowd at Rally in Berlin 1953; Photo; Licensed article; Original: 2880×2160; Photographer: Unknown;a0 Licensable; Rights: a9 Bleek/zb Media. The photo shows a rally in West Berlin for the victims of the uprising on June 17, 1953, in Berlin. After the violent suppression of the popular uprising by Soviet tanks and the GDR’s security forces, the killed demonstrators were commemorated in West Berlin and the Federal Republic of Germany.

Many people in the western part of the city gathered in silent sympathy – whether in public squares, in front of memorial sites, or during an official ceremony. Such commemorative events regularly took place in West Berlin thereafter, particularly on June 17, which was a national day of remembrance known as “Day of German Unity” in the Federal Republic until reunification.

The popular uprising of June 17, 1953, began as a protest by construction workers against increased work norms but quickly developed into a broad movement against the communist SED regime in the GDR. The GDR government asked the Soviet Union for help, leading to Soviet tanks entering Berlin and other cities to violently suppress the uprising. Hundreds of people were arrested, with many killed.

The photo symbolizes the memory of the courage of the demonstrators who protested for freedom and better living conditions. It also stands for the ongoing division of Germany and the Cold War that separated East and West for decades.