History of the Berlin Wall
Following World War Two, Germany was divided into four zones: American, British, French, and Soviet. Berlin, which sat in the Soviet zone, was split as well. In 1949, the United States, France, and England controlled the west side of the country. The Soviet Union controlled the eastern half. West Germany was a democratic country, while East Germany was a communist country. The living conditions in West Germany were far better than those of East Germany. There were more job opportunities, and people were able to live their life the way they wanted to. East Germany was a strict, communist government. The people had little freedoms, and there were very few job opportunities.
By 1951, citizens from East Germany were fleeing the country, and heading for West Germany. Many of these people were intellectuals, (doctors, scientists, etc.) that wanted to pursue a better life and better career in the western side of the country. By 1961, almost two and a half million people had fled East Germany for the west.
On the night of August 12-13, East Germany began construction on what would become the Berlin Wall. Originally, the 'wall' was just a string of barbed wire with sentries posted around it. But in the following days, construction of a concrete barricade began. The length of the wall running along the border was around 96 miles. The final version to the Berlin Wall made it almost impossible to escape. The wall was now almost twelve feet tall and four feet thick. The Berlin Wall was built by the Soviet government of East Germany. The people who worked on the wall were German soldiers and construction workers.
The defenses of the Berlin Wall continued to get more impenetrable, so the escapees needed to come up with different ways to get over or around the wall. The Berlin Wall had reduced the amount of escapes pre year by almost 75%. People tried many different things to get over. Some tightroped on suspension cables, sixty some feet above the wall. Others tried to use zip-lines to get over the wall. Some tunnels were even dug that went beneath the tunnel. Most of these attempts ended in failure, but some people managed to make it to freedom in the west. The Berlin Wall 'fell' in 1990. The pro-Soviet countries surrounding Germany decided that they no longer wanted to support a communist regime. Unrest broke out in East Germany, and the government finally announced that East German citizens could travel to West Germany. West and East Germans rejoiced, and began to break down parts of the wall. The governments eventually used heavy machinery to drive the wall into the ground. German reunification was finally announced on October 3, 1990.
By 1951, citizens from East Germany were fleeing the country, and heading for West Germany. Many of these people were intellectuals, (doctors, scientists, etc.) that wanted to pursue a better life and better career in the western side of the country. By 1961, almost two and a half million people had fled East Germany for the west.
On the night of August 12-13, East Germany began construction on what would become the Berlin Wall. Originally, the 'wall' was just a string of barbed wire with sentries posted around it. But in the following days, construction of a concrete barricade began. The length of the wall running along the border was around 96 miles. The final version to the Berlin Wall made it almost impossible to escape. The wall was now almost twelve feet tall and four feet thick. The Berlin Wall was built by the Soviet government of East Germany. The people who worked on the wall were German soldiers and construction workers.
The defenses of the Berlin Wall continued to get more impenetrable, so the escapees needed to come up with different ways to get over or around the wall. The Berlin Wall had reduced the amount of escapes pre year by almost 75%. People tried many different things to get over. Some tightroped on suspension cables, sixty some feet above the wall. Others tried to use zip-lines to get over the wall. Some tunnels were even dug that went beneath the tunnel. Most of these attempts ended in failure, but some people managed to make it to freedom in the west. The Berlin Wall 'fell' in 1990. The pro-Soviet countries surrounding Germany decided that they no longer wanted to support a communist regime. Unrest broke out in East Germany, and the government finally announced that East German citizens could travel to West Germany. West and East Germans rejoiced, and began to break down parts of the wall. The governments eventually used heavy machinery to drive the wall into the ground. German reunification was finally announced on October 3, 1990.