Chapter 47 of 100

Chapter 47

17 min read4,203 words

Just as Ismertni said a while ago, as a member of a social group, people are very afraid of being isolated. If your friends suddenly ignore you, you will feel very uncomfortable, and this will affect your behavior, leading you to take strange actions to regain your friends' attention. But humans are very contradictory; as a member of a group, they are always looking for opportunities to protect their privacy. Everyone has secrets they are unwilling to share with others, and no one wants their privacy to be known by everyone, which is why they are very averse to various forms of surveillance.

Therefore, Shalov prepared to exploit these two psychological states to create such a large environment, specifically targeting the people of West Berlin. The wall must be high enough that ordinary people cannot climb it, high enough that a normal person cannot see the outside world. Make the surroundings of West Berlin tall walls, so that people feel they are locked inside wherever they go. If they can feel like they are in a prison, that would be even better.

Isolation alone is not enough; it is also necessary to make the people of West Berlin feel constantly monitored. At this point, the effectiveness of high-power searchlights and loudspeakers comes into play. The guards on the watchtowers use loudspeakers during the day and high-power searchlights at night to shine on West Berlin. In fact, there is only one purpose: to let the people of West Berlin know that there are people outside watching them, not only watching but also observing their every move, making the people of West Berlin feel that their privacy has been violated. If both of these points can be achieved, the blockade will have some meaning.

"They always say we are a police state, don't they? If we don't do this properly, we really won't live up to their evaluation!" Shalov and Markus Wolf jointly finalized the plan to build the Berlin Wall, with the goal of constructing a 140-kilometer-long wall within two months.

"By the way, how many informants do you have in West Berlin?" Shalov has always been curious about the operations of the Stasi. He doesn't believe that there are no West Germans working for East Germany.

"West Berlin has about 2,000 informants, and throughout West Germany, there are about 6,000 people who have connections with our Stasi!" Markus Wolf wouldn't lie to Shalov about this, as there was no need; it was just a number.

Hmm! Shalov was somewhat surprised by this number, but upon careful consideration, it made sense. Both sides are of the same ethnicity, which naturally reduces many obstacles in intelligence work. However, the Stasi's achievements still left Shalov somewhat amazed, admiring their organizational capabilities.

On April 28, after thorough preparation, 20,000 mobilized workers, plus 6,000 people from various countries' aid teams, gathered to implement the East German government's decision to blockade the fascists in West Berlin. The status of West Berlin would be treated like a national border, and all future interactions would follow border management procedures. If people from West Berlin want to leave, they must be approved by border authorities. The most important part is the announcement of the construction of the Anti-Fascist Defense Wall, which will serve as a border system to counter the three-occupied West Berlin.

On the same day, construction of the Berlin Wall began. More than 26,000 workers began building the wall around West Berlin. Bricks, already produced in large quantities, were continuously transported to the construction site, where workers had already mixed the cement and were ready to start building as soon as the bricks arrived.

"With the manpower mobilized this time, if we don't consider quality and the time it takes for the cement to set, the wall could be completed in a week. However, the watchtowers might take a bit longer!" Markus Wolf, holding a telescope, watched the progress of the construction, looking quite proud and clearly satisfied with the current efficiency.

"As long as East Germany can withstand the pressure, once the wall is built, the population outflow can be temporarily alleviated. But you still need to find your own solutions. If your population is far behind West Germany, the gap in hard indicators will still be significant, no matter how you compete!" Shalov shrugged helplessly, "The blockade of West Berlin seems strong, but in reality, our side is not as attractive as the West. Otherwise, West Berlin might have surrounded itself, and we wouldn't have agreed..."

This is a harsh reality. People naturally prefer the wealthy to the poor, and Shalov can't really say much about it. But using freedom as an excuse for preferring the wealthy is intolerable. Such people should leave as soon as possible. When the Soviet Union becomes truly prosperous, Shalov hopes those who left don't come back, after all, your homeland is not free.

"What can we do? Establish Hero Mothers?" Markus Wolf also knew that the Soviet Union had policies to encourage having more children. Was he suggesting that East Germany learn from the Soviet Union's experience?

"If possible, I personally suggest that Germany establish Hero Fathers, giving the banners and honors to men and the bonuses to women!" Shalov thought for a moment and said, "To be honest, men, especially young men, are much more enthusiastic about the act of sowing than young women, due to the different growth cycles of men and women. According to the Soviet data I've seen, the current population growth in the Soviet Union is still not optimistic. The Hero Mother policy may have had some effect, but it is quite limited."

"Will this work?" Markus Wolf's attention had shifted from the construction to Shalov's suggestion. Shalov's proposal was indeed novel, but it was also a bit too novel. It felt strange to think of the government implementing such a policy.

"It will definitely have a greater effect than the Hero Mother policy. As for whether this policy has any issues, it needs to be tested! If it proves effective in East Germany, perhaps the Soviet Union will also learn from it!" Shalov said with great confidence.

To be honest, Shalov was somewhat impressed with himself for being able to present such a proposal so straightforwardly, as if it were for the bright future of socialism. These years of study in the Soviet Union were not in vain.

"Let's try it in a district with a smaller population!" Markus Wolf's response indicated that he had been led down the path by Shalov.

This was Shalov's first experiment using East Germany, but it would not be the last. If it proved effective, Shalov would immediately promote it in the Soviet Union, especially in areas where Russians live. Using the results from East Germany to convince the Soviet Union's leaders to address the population issue.

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