Germany And The Berlin Wall

Creation began on The Berlin Wall early in the morning of Sunday, August 13, 1961. It was a frantic yet effective effort by the GDR (German Democratic Republic) to bring to an end East Berliners escaping the Soviet-controlled East German state into the West of the town, which was then dominated by the Americans, British and French. You should go to Berlin yourself to check this out and stay in one of the many Berlin apartments

Berlin’s unique state as a city half-controlled by Western forces, in the focus of the Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany, made it a central point for tensions concerning the Allies and the Soviets and a place where disagreeing ideologies were imposed side-by-side. However, as more and more people in the Soviet-controlled East grew disillusioned with communism and the increasingly domineering economic and political conditions, an growing amount began defecting to the West. By 1961 an predicted 1,500 people a day were fleeing to the West, damaging both the credibility and – more importantly – the workforce of the GDR. Soon rumors began to proliferate about a wall, and it wasn’t long after that those rumors were made a tangible reality.

In a masterfully-designed operation, spanning just 24 hours, the streets of Berlin were torn up, barricades of paving stones were

Berlin Wall just before it was taken down

erected, tanks were gathered at essential places and subways and local railway services were interrupted, so that within a day the West of Berlin was totally sealed off from the East. As of that same day inhabitants of East Berlin and the GDR were no longer allowed to go in the West of the city (including the 60,000 who had been commuters). In reply to international criticism that such extreme measures inevitably drew, the GDR claimed that the barrier had been raised as an ‘anti-fascist protection wall’, and that they had moved to stop a third world war.
The account of the ‘Wall’ that started life in 1961, was in fact not a wall but a 96 miles barbed wire fence. However, after this incarnation proved too easy to scale, work started in 1962 on a second fence, parallel to the first but up to 100 yards further in. The area in between the two fences was demolished to create an empty space, which became broadly known as “death strip” as it was here that many would-be escapees met their doom. The strip was roofed with raked gravel, making it easy to spot footprints, it offered no cover, was mined and booby-trapped with tripwires and, most notably, it offered a patent field of fire to the armed guards – who were instructed to shoot on sight.

Later on even these measures were deemed inadequate and a concrete wall was added in 1965, which served until 1975 when the notorious ‘St

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