souvenir hunters; industrial equipment was later used to remove almost all of the rest of it
After the end of World War II in Europe, what territorially remained of Nazi Germany was divided into four occupation zones per the Potsdam
Agreement, each one controlled by one of the four occupying Allied powers: the Americans, British, French and Soviets. The old capital of Berlin, as the seat of
the Allied Control Council, was similarly subdivided into four sectors despite the city lying deep inside the zone of the Soviet Union. Although the intent was for
the occupying powers to govern Germany together inside the 1947 borders, the advent of Cold War tension caused the French, British and American zones to be
formed into the Federal Republic of Germany and West Berlin in 1949, excluding the Soviet zone, which then formed the German Democratic Republic
including East Berlin.
88
The Effect of Cold War in Berlin, After the downfall of Hitlers Third
Reich, the division of East and West Germany separated the Land In the Middle of Europe. The continued shifts in boundaries only clarified Germanys uneasy
role in Europe. After an evil dictatorship by Hitler and the horrors brought about by Word War II, for nearly fifty years the division of Germany appeared to insure
stability into the Cold War.
A nation of former Nazis seemed to be being transformed into two nations, one of Democrats, the other of Communists-and each appeared to be a
model instance of its type. These two Germanys, created by the superpowers, faced each other on the Iron Curtain, which ran down the inner-most frontier of
the largest divided nation. East and West Germany were almost polar opposites. They saw everything in black and white. They were each others greatest enemies.
This was shown on April 26, 1960. The East German Ministry of Cultural Affairs issued as order that the word Germany would no longer be used in any
documents. The two German states would henceforth be called the German Democratic Republic and West Germany.
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Anonymous, Berlin Wall. Accessed on May 13, 2008. http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiBerlin_Wall.
Germany had failed to develop a well-settled properly fused society. Since the greatest concentrations of heavy industry lay in the Western zones of
occupation, a portion of reparations from those zones was to be turned over to the Soviets. The Russians, whose country had suffered enormous devastation from
many years of warring, felt justified in seizing as much German industrial equipment as they could. The question then arose of how to deal with the country
as a whole. The Soviets made the most changes, which were in line with their Communist ideology; they socialized much of industry and affected a radical,
agrarian reform that distributed land to farmers in Communist fashion. Russia believed that the best hope for united and free Germany lay in establishing a new
government for at least part of the country so as to bring about political stability. This political stability would be supported by a Communist foundation to ensure
rapid economic recovery. The Marshall Plan shocked the Soviet leaders in Moscow. They would no longer be able to use poverty in Western Europe to
spread Communism. Moscows reaction to the Marshall Plan was swift. The military governors of the Soviet Union announced that they would inspect all
freight shipments coming into West Berlin. The officials of the United States would not agree to this because the Soviet leaders had agreed to allow open traffic
through a corridor connecting West Berlin with West Germany. By July1, 1948, the Soviet Union had blocked all land and water routes into West Berlin. The
people of West Berlin could not survive long without food and other necessities for survival. They would be forced to become part of Communist East Germany.
By the Nineteenth Century the idea of Socialism in Eastern Europe had been called into question. Communism in Germany could not be efficient because
it lacked the essential properties needed for rational allocation of resources. The disintegration of Communism is primarily due to the lack of market conditions.
Tangible goods hold more value than cash, which becomes the preferred medium of economic exchange. Another large problem with Communism was private
ownership. Private initiative is the leading force for market performance. If workers interests are tied to the company he or she works for, he or she will work
more efficiently. As time continues and technology matures, the crisis laid in the Soviet system, which was no longer, an attractive political model for the future.
There was no longer a monolithic Communist movement.
89
C. The Beatles Biography
89
David Eisenstein, How the Separation of Germany Contributed to the Disintegration of Communism in Eastern Europe.
Accessed on July 02, 2008. http:econc10.bu.edueconomic_systemsNatIdentityEEGermanyDisintegration.html.
Inspired by the skiffle boom, a student at Quarry Bank School in Liverpool named John Lennon decided to form a group in 1957 which laid the
foundation to what was to become the most famous rock band of all time. Johns original name was The Blackjacks. However, this name only lasted a week and
John used the school name as inspiration for the later name The Quarry Men in March 1957. John sang and played guitar, Colin Hanton played drums, Eric
Griffiths on guitar, Pete Shotton on washboard, Rod Davis on banjo and Bill Smith on tea-chest bass. Bill was soon replaced by Ivan Vaughan.
John was inspired by Heartbreak Hotel and became a fan of American rock n roll music. He introduced songs by Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, The
Coasters, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Gene Vincent into their repertoire. On July 6, 1957, Ivan Vaughan invited Paul McCartney to see their gig at The
Woolton Parish Church Fete. The fifteen-year-old McCartney was introducing to sixteen-year-old Lennon and a unique song writing partnership began.
The line-up of The Quarry Men increased to seven with Paul on guitar and vocals, John Lowe on piano and George Harrison on guitar and vocals. Soon
Griffiths and another member would leave, leaving e-piece band. The group appeared at several local talent contests but had very few gigs. By January 1959,
the group wasnt operating. Although John and Paul kept in touch, George had joined the Les Stewart Quartet.
That might have been the end of The Quarry Men but they had a stroke of luck. The Les Stewart Quartet had been booked as a resident band at a new club
called The Casbah. It was run by Mrs. Mona Best to support her sons Pete and Rory. Stewart, upset because his guitarists Ken Brown help decorate the club,
refused to play there. Ken and George walked out of the group and George contacted John and Paul, and The Quarry Men were reunited as a quartet. After
about seven gigs at the club, Ken Brown left over a disagreement about money. From October 1959 to January 1960 John, Paul and George continued as a trio
with Paul on drums. They called themselves Johnny the Moondogs.
By this time John was enrolled in The Liverpool College of Art. John knew that they needed a bass player so he asked two students if they would like
the position. The two were Stuart Sutcliffe and Rod Murray. Both could not afford a guitar, so Rod started to make one by hand. However, Stuart was able to
sell one of his paintings to a John Moores Exhibition and was able to buy a Hofner bass guitar and join the group in January, 1960. At this time the group had
changed its name to Silver Beetles. They also began shifting drummers around, the first was Tommy Moore who toured with them through Scotland and then left.
The next was Norman Chapman but he left after only a few weeks. Finally, George suggested that Pete Best, the son of club owner Mrs. Mona Best, become
the groups drummer.
Paul contacted Pete and offered him the drummer seat, he took it. The group had finally settled on The Beatles just before their first trip to Hamburg
in August, 1960. Now John, Paul, George, Stuart and Pete would head off for
Hamburg. At that time The Beatles werent considered to be the leading group in Liverpool and in most cases were looked down upon. In Hamburg they pulled
their act together musically. This was caused by the fact that they had to play such long hours and were bullied by the club owner Bruno Koschimider to make a
show. It wasnt just Hamburg that made them special. The fact that Liverpool had so many venues for local acts to play at, coupled with the rivalry between
more than 300 Merseyside groups, continued to forge The Beatles until they were to be regarded as Liverpools top band.
At the time, Pete Best was regarded as the most potent symbol in the band. After Hamburg, Stuart Sutcliffe had left and now The Beatles were a four-piece
band and Paul took over as bass guitarist. John, Paul and George were the three front-line guitarists and they alternated as lead singers and also performed vocal
harmony with either John and Paul or all three. Pete Best played drums and occasionally sang one song but he had developed a distinctive drum sound called
the atom beat which many other drummers tried to copy.
By this time, The Beatles had hired Brian Epstein as their manager and he signed them up for an audition with Decca Records. The head of Decca Records
told The Beatles manager, Guitar groups are on their way out Mr. Epstein.. The Beatles were devastated by their failed audition but Epstien secured them a
contract with Parlophone Records. George Martin became their AR Man. In August of 1962, Pete Best was replaced by Ringo Starr.
Their first single Love Me Do was issued on October 5, 1962, and was a modest hit. 1963 and 1964 proved to be the most important years in their careers.
In 1963 the Beatlemania craze had started in Britain and The Beatles were no longer support acts at concerts. Now they were starring in the Royal Variety
Show and the highest rating TV show Sunday Night At The London Palladium.
Their biggest year was 1964 when they conquered the biggest record market in the world - America. The group became symbols. America was
mourning the death of President John F. Kennedy and The Beatles appeared on the scene to bring them fun and excitement and end their mourning. They also
brought back rock n roll to America. After Elvis had join the army, he lost much of his early rebelliousness. Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry were rocked by
scandals and their careers suffered. Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens had been killed in an plane crash. The American media was promoting
what The Beatles called One-Hit-Wonders such as Frankie Avalon, Tab Hunter, James Darren, etc.
Ed Sullivan had been at London airport when The Beatles return from Sweden and saw all the girls screaming, the boys cheering and the media taking
pictures. He knew they were something special and he booked them on his TV show The Ed Sullivan Show. That show received the highest ratings in the
history of television up to then. That same year The Beatles toured America for the first time and starred in their first motion picture A Hard Days Night. In
1965, The Beatles second motion picture HELP premiered. Later that year, The Beatles performed at Shea Stadium in New York to a crowd of 55,000
screaming fans. The largest live audience in history. Their tours did have their
darker moments. The first being in Tokyo, Japan where The Beatles were locked up in their hotel and were not allowed to come out until show time. The next was
in the Philippines when, on a day off, Madam Marcos asked them to attend a Royal dinner. The Beatles politely turned down the invitation and the public was
furious. The Beatles quickly left.
In 1966, The Beatles were under heavy pressure from the press after John made a remark that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus. John had to
apologize and explain himself several times. Not only that but their tour of America was plagued with mishaps. On August 19, 1966 they receive a death
threat in Memphis and a firecracker went off during the show terrifying The Beatles. The next day in Cincinnati a concert promoter failed to provide a stage
canopy and cant understand why The Beatles were unwilling to play electric guitars in a rainstorm. Paul becomes so agitated he becomes ill. On August 28,
1966 at Dodger Stadium, L.A. cops are seen beating teenage girls. Dozens are trampled in the chaos.
During the sixties, The Beatles not only became a musical phenomenon, they affected the styles and fashions of the decade. They transformed the record
industry as well. They brought about royalties for artists and producers, revolutionized music tours, and started the Pop promo film or what we know
today as The Music Video. Everyone of their albums, from Please Please Me to Abbey Road were all popular and unique in their own way. But after the death of
their long time manager Brian Epstein, things would start to fall apart for The Beatles.
Due to outside interests the group focused less and less and the band. In late 1964 they were introduced to marijuana and would experiment with more
drugs such as LSD which they were first introduced to in late 1965. The Beatles played their last concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on August 29, 1966.
In 1967, their manager Brian Epstein died of a accidental drug overdose. Some friction was caused between John and Paul because Paul was trying to become the
leader of the group after Brians death. Ties were still strong at this point between the band members despite Ringo leaving the band for a short time during The
White Album because he felt left out. When Ringo decided to return he found his drum kit decked with flowers and the others tried to include him more.
After The White Album they embarked on the Let It Be project. The idea was to see The Beatles jam, rehearse and record a whole new album of
songs. At the end they would give a concert from some spectacular place. Tensions were high between Paul and George as they started recording at
Twickenham Film Studios. John was off in his land of love with Yoko and Ringo was left in the background. One day George walked out on a session after a
disagreement with Paul. George came back to finish up the album but as John would later explain, We couldnt play the game anymore, we just couldnt do it.
The Beatles gave their last public appearance on top of the Apple building on January 30, 1969. However their Let It Be album was deemed un-releasable.
It was handed over to Phil Spector who added lush orchestrations to such songs as The Long and Winding Road, infuriating Paul. Despite all of this, The Beatles
