Berlin & Moscow: Rare Footage Revealed | War’s Aftermath

July 1945. Germany is defeated, and Berlin lies in ruins. The American army and Allied forces enter the Soviet-occupied capital. Teams from Special Film Project 186, led by Hollywood director George Stevens, document the city’s state—from the Brandenburg Gate to the Reich Chancellery, Unter den Linden, and the Adlon Hotel. Meanwhile, in Moscow, the Soviet victory is celebrated in grand style on Red Square. Days later, the leaders of the victorious powers meet in Potsdam to determine Germany’s fate and reshape post-war Europe.

Two capitals, two empires, one shattered world: The untold aftermath of World War Two in Berlin and Moscow.

Introduction

The fall of Berlin in May 1945 and the victory parades in Moscow symbolised the end of the most destructive war in human history. But beneath the banners and headlines lay a complex and brutal aftermath. Berlin, the epicentre of Nazi power, was reduced to rubble, its people broken and shamed. Moscow, capital of the victorious Soviet Union, emerged as a new global power—but at a staggering human cost.

This article explores the contrasting yet connected post-war realities of Berlin and Moscow—cities transformed by war, defined by ideology, and scarred by victory.

I. Berlin: A Capital in Collapse

The Fall

By April 1945, Berlin was a city under siege. The Soviet Red Army encircled the Nazi capital in a brutal final offensive. Adolf Hitler committed suicide on April 30, and within days the city surrendered. Berlin was no longer a seat of power, but a symbol of Germany’s humiliation.

Urban Destruction

Over 70% of buildings were damaged or destroyed.
Infrastructure—water, electricity, sanitation—was in ruins.
Civilians were starving. Food shortages led to widespread looting and black market trade.
Entire neighbourhoods were uninhabitable.

Human Suffering

Between 90,000–130,000 Berlin civilians died during the final battle.
An estimated 100,000 women in Berlin were raped in the aftermath, mostly by Red Army troops.
Thousands of suicides were recorded, particularly among women and young girls.

Occupation and Division

Berlin was divided into four zones—Soviet, American, British, and French. The city became the first frontier of the Cold War, where East met West in a tense political and ideological standoff.

“The war was over, but our nightmare had just begun.” — Diary of a Berlin woman, May 1945.

II. Moscow: Triumph Amid Tragedy

The Capital of the Victors

While Berlin burned, Moscow erupted in celebration. On May 9, 1945, massive crowds flooded Red Square as the Soviet Union declared victory over Nazi Germany. Stalin’s regime presented itself as the saviour of Europe from fascism.

The Human Cost of Victory

Victory came at a devastating price:

The Soviet Union lost more than 26 million people—military and civilian.
Nearly 1,700 towns and cities, and 70,000 villages were destroyed by Nazi occupation.
Moscow itself had been targeted during Operation Barbarossa, but held firm through brutal winters, evacuations, and famine.

State Power and Suppression

The victory strengthened Stalin’s authoritarian grip.
Wartime heroism was repaid not with freedom, but surveillance and repression.
Returning POWs were interrogated, and many were sent to gulags for being “tainted” by Western captivity.
Dissidents, Jews, and ethnic minorities continued to face persecution.

The Myth of Soviet Liberation

In the Soviet narrative, the Red Army was hailed as a liberator. But in Eastern Europe—including East Germany—many civilians saw them as occupiers. The contrast between Soviet self-perception and European memory would define post-war politics for decades.

III. Contrasting Realities, Shared Scars

Berlin:

Victim and perpetrator.
Ashes of a fascist dream.
Divided city: future home to the Berlin Wall.

Moscow:

Beacon of communist triumph.
Capital of a state scarred by war yet hungry for dominance.
Cradle of Soviet Cold War ambition.

Despite being on opposite sides of history, both cities were fundamentally altered. Berlin was reborn under the gaze of occupying powers, while Moscow reigned as the heart of an empire—yet both carried the ghosts of war, repression, and human suffering.

IV. The Aftermath in Global Memory

Berlin’s Transformation

Became a symbol of Cold War division (East vs West).
Site of resistance, rebellion (1953 uprising), and eventually, reunification in 1989.
Today, Berlin confronts its past through memorials, museums, and education.

Moscow’s Continuity

Soviet victory narrative remains central to Russian identity.
State memory glorifies the war while downplaying repression and occupation.
In modern Russia, Victory Day is used to invoke nationalism and state legitimacy.

Conclusion: Two Capitals, One Legacy

Berlin and Moscow stand as twin monuments to the consequences of ideology, ambition, and total war. In Berlin, the horror of defeat exposed the crimes of Nazism. In Moscow, victory concealed a regime that imposed terror even in triumph.

Both cities were rebuilt, but never truly healed. Their post-war stories remind us that the end of war is not the end of suffering, and that memory is often the first casualty in the politics of peace.

“In war, truth is the first casualty. In victory, memory is the second.”