A Night Divided

When World War II ended, the terms of Germany’s loss stipulated that it be split into four zones controlled by Great Britain, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union, respectively. Berlin, as the capital, was split into four zones though it was in the Soviet-occupied region. During this time, political tension grew between the Soviet Union and the United States and their controlled or allied states due to their respective communist and capitalist ideologies, and this period became known as the Cold War since there was no direct fighting between these two powers. In 1949, the regions controlled by Britain, France, and the US merged to become the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), which became known as West Germany, and the Soviet region was named the German Democrat Republic (GDR), known as East Germany. West Germany established a capitalist economic system, received reconstruction aid, and joined NATO. East Germany was one of several states that comprised the Eastern Bloc, aligned with the Soviet Union; the Soviet-controlled Socialist Unity Party of Germany was its ruling party. The Stasi, a secret police force, supported them.

Many East German citizens, like Gerta and Fritz in A Night Divided, idealized the West and believed it stood for freedom.