History of Berlin Wall
At the end of WWII, the allies divided Germany into West and East Germany. Berlin was split in half. East Germany was controlled by the Soviet Union, while West Germany was controlled by the US, the United Kingdom, and France. West Germany was a capitalist republic. Their living conditions were good and their economy was thriving. On the other side, socialist East Germany's economy was not. Many citizens of East Germany were moving to West Germany, and by 1961, 3.5 million citizens had moved.
In response, East Germany began setting up the Berlin Wall on August 12th, 1961. The wall was concrete, with chain fences, minefields, and barbed wire. It was a 140 kilometer long "no-man's land". It was constructed by East German troops and working class citizens. Many East German citizens tried to escape, and around 5,000 were successful. Before the wall was fortified, they could jump out of the windows of tall buildings and land on the other side, or simply drive a car into the wall. After fortification, tunnels were often used. The citizens eventually rebelled and pushed for a tearing down of the wall. Eventually, the wall was opened for passing in 1989, while the wall was actually torn down in 1990.
In response, East Germany began setting up the Berlin Wall on August 12th, 1961. The wall was concrete, with chain fences, minefields, and barbed wire. It was a 140 kilometer long "no-man's land". It was constructed by East German troops and working class citizens. Many East German citizens tried to escape, and around 5,000 were successful. Before the wall was fortified, they could jump out of the windows of tall buildings and land on the other side, or simply drive a car into the wall. After fortification, tunnels were often used. The citizens eventually rebelled and pushed for a tearing down of the wall. Eventually, the wall was opened for passing in 1989, while the wall was actually torn down in 1990.