Berlin

On January 18, 1701, Frederick I was crowned as King in Prussia in a ceremony in Königsberg (then part of Brandenburg-Prussia). Although Berlin was not the site of the coronation, it became the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia, significantly shaping the future of Germany. This event marked the rise of Prussia as a significant power in European politics, eventually influencing the unification of Germany in the 19th century.

On January 15, 1920, the Dada movement was officially founded in Berlin. This avant-garde art movement was a reaction against the horrors of World War I and the biases of traditional art and culture. Dada in Berlin became the center for radical left-wing art and political activism, symbolized by its embrace of chaos and irrationality as a counter to the violence and rationalism that had led to war. It influenced later 20th-century art movements, including surrealism and abstract art.

The Berlin Conference of 1921 (not to be confused with the earlier colonial conference of 1884-85) was an important post-World War I gathering attended by European and Asian leaders to address pressing issues left by the Treaty of Versailles. The conference aimed at stabilizing the geopolitical landscape of Europe, re-evaluating post-war reparations and boundaries, and trying to prevent further conflicts.

On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany by President Paul von Hindenburg. This marked the beginning of Nazi rule and a turning point in German history. As chancellor, Hitler quickly consolidated power and transformed the Weimar Republic into a totalitarian regime, leading to the horrors of the Holocaust and World War II. Hitler's rise in Berlin significantly impacted the course of 20th-century world history.

The Battle of Berlin, which ended on April 30, 1945, marked the final major offensive of the European theatre of World War II. The Soviet Union launched the attack to capture the capital of Nazi Germany, leading to the fall of Berlin and the subsequent suicide of Adolf Hitler. This battle was one of the bloodiest in history and precipitated the unconditional surrender of Germany shortly thereafter, on May 8, 1945, marking the end of the war in Europe.

The Berlin Airlift was initiated on June 24, 1948, in response to the Soviet blockade of West Berlin. The United States and its allies orchestrated the massive effort to supply the city with food, fuel, and other essential goods by air to bypass the Soviet blockade. The event lasted for more than a year, significantly increased tensions in the early Cold War, and ultimately demonstrated the resolve of the Western Allies to support West Berliners.

On August 13, 1961, the government of East Germany began the construction of the Berlin Wall, a fortified barrier that divided East and West Berlin. The wall was erected to stop the large-scale migration of East Germans to the West and became a symbolic representation of the Iron Curtain and the division of Europe during the Cold War. The wall stood for nearly 28 years, separating families and creating a physical and ideological divide.

On March 18, 1969, Willy Brandt became the Chancellor of West Germany and initiated a new foreign policy approach known as Ostpolitik. This policy aimed at improving relations between West Germany and Eastern Europe, including East Germany, through dialogue, understanding, and cooperation. In Berlin, this policy signified a shift from confrontation to engagement during the Cold War and laid the groundwork for eventual rapprochement and reunification.

The fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, represented not only a literal tearing down of barriers, but also served as both a symbolic and physical manifestation of the end of the Cold War. It marked the beginning of the fall of communism in Eastern and Central Europe and paved the way for German reunification. Thousands of East Berliners flooded through the border for the first time in decades, leading to celebrations both in Germany and around the world.

German Reunification, which occurred on October 3, 1990, was the process in which East Germany (the German Democratic Republic) joined the Federal Republic of Germany, and Berlin was united into a single city once again. This historic event followed the fall of the Berlin Wall and marked the end of the division that existed since the end of World War II. The reunification is celebrated annually in Germany as the Day of German Unity.