The central idea best reflected in the passage is that the Berlin Wall was constructed after significant emigration from East Germany, highlighting it as a direct response to stem the flow of refugees seeking better lives in the West.
The statement that best reflects a central idea in the passage regarding the Berlin Wall is A. The Berlin Wall was built after many people emigrated from East Germany. This statement is supported by the historical context that highlights the migration of East Germans to the West, seeking better economic and political conditions. The wall was erected under Soviet direction in 1961 to halt this migration, illustrating the extreme measures taken to prevent East Berliners from leaving the Soviet-dominated East Germany.
The construction of the Berlin Wall was a consequence of the mass exodus of skilled laborers and professionals from East Berlin, which further exacerbated the economic challenges faced by East Germany under communist rule. The Berlin Wall itself became a potent symbol of communist oppression, representing the physical and ideological divide between East and West during the Cold War.
Thus, while statements B and C might have elements of truth, they do not capture the main point that the construction of the Berlin Wall was directly linked to the large-scale emigration from East Germany. Moreover, statement D misconstrues the effect of the Berlin Wall as a cause of the Cold War, whereas, in reality, the Cold War context existed prior to the wall's construction and was marked by many other events and policies.