The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 by East Germany to isolate West Berlin, occupied by the French, Americans, and British. It fell in 1989, causing a major diplomatic blow to Soviet countries. The split in Berlin resulted in an island in the middle of East Germany. The Berlin Wall blocked access to West Berlin for East Germans and made it difficult for people to get out of West Berlin. The tearing down of the Berlin Wall was a monumental historical event and is often used as a symbol of the decline of communism.
The Berlin Wall was built by the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1961 in an attempt to isolate the Allied sector of West Berlin, occupied by the French, Americans and British. It stood until 1989 when it fell along with the rest of the Iron Curtain. It is often used as an example of extreme isolationism and was a major diplomatic blow to relations between Soviet countries and the rest of the world.
After WWII, Germany was occupied by the Allied Control Council as it stabilized and was rebuilt. As part of the occupation agreement, the Soviet Union was given control over a sector of Germany that became known as East Germany, while non-Communist powers controlled West Germany. Berlin, one of the major cities of Germany, was located in East Germany and the city itself was also divided by the major powers.
The split in Berlin resulted in an island in the middle of the East German sea, a situation that made all parties uneasy. East Germans feared that Western powers might attempt a takeover or liberation of East Germany, while Western powers feared for the citizens and workers stationed in Berlin.
Access to Berlin had been restricted previously, most notably in 1948 when several Western nations were forced to stage the Berlin Airlift, an ambitious plan to bring food and supplies to West Berlin. Numerous East Germans saw West Berlin as an island of safety and many defected to West Berlin in search of a better life. The East Germans realized they were losing control and citizens, and in the wee hours of August 13 they began building the Berlin Wall, a blockade around West Berlin.
The Berlin Wall blocked access to West Berlin for East Germans. He also made it difficult for people to get out of West Berlin by establishing a series of checkpoints. Extensive diplomatic talks have surrounded the Berlin Wall, and several well-known political figures, including US President Kennedy, have spoken out about the Berlin Wall. In 1963, Kennedy made a famous speech, expressing solidarity with the people of West Berlin and affirming that West Berlin was an island of democracy and freedom in a sea of communism.
The Berlin Wall claimed numerous lives, with the first death at the Wall occurring in 1961 when Ida Siekmann jumped from a third story window to reach West Germany. In 1989, with the fall of communism, citizens on both sides of the Wall teamed up to bring it down, opening the 192 streets that had been closed since the construction of the Berlin Wall. The tearing down of the Berlin Wall was a monumental historical event and is often used as a symbol of the decline of communism.
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