The Berlin Wall was constructed on Sunday 13th August 1961 literally within 24 hours. It was a desperate and largely successful method of preventing East Berliners escaping to the West of the city which was then controlled by the Americans, British and French. The city soon became a focal point of two separate idealogies, Western Capitalism and Eastern Bloc Communism.
The wall was built by the East Germans and included guard towers placed along a concrete wall which included an area inside known as the death strip.
The wall was built by the East Germans and included guard towers placed along a concrete wall which included an area inside known as the death strip.
The Berlin Wall
| Willy Brandt referred to the wall as a 'Wall of Shame'. |
| East German authorities referred to the wall as 'Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart'. |
| Up to 3.5 million people defected from the East to the West before the wall was erected. |
| As many as 5,000 people attempted to escape over the wall. |
| Chris Gueffroy was the last person to die attempting to escape over the wall in February, 1989. |
In 1989 after a series of massive political upheavals in the Eastern Bloc and several weeks of unrest in East Germany, the authorities announced that East Germans could visit the West. Crowds of East Germans flocked to the wall and climbed on to it and crossed it whilst on the other side West Germans joined in the celebratory mood. Over the next few weeks the public and souvenir hunters chipped away at parts of the wall and the government later used undustrial equipment to remove the rest.
The fall of the wall ultimately led to the reunification of Germany on 3rd October 1990.
The fall of the wall ultimately led to the reunification of Germany on 3rd October 1990.