august 13th
1961: Berlin Wall goes up
Communist authorities
seal off all roads between East and West
Berlin, erecting a barrier of
barbed wire and cinder blocks. The division of post-war Germany into four occupation zones left Berlin within the Soviet zone, and internally divided into East and West Berlin. For East Germans unhappy with life under
communism, West Berlin became a gateway to the democratic West. By August 1961, approximately 2,000 East
German refugees were streaming into the West every day, leading communist authorities to halt access to West Berlin. A high wall of concrete replaced barbed wire and cinder blocks, and East German border guards were ordered to shoot anyone crossing the wall. For the next 28 years, the Berlin Wall stood as the most tangible symbol of the Cold War--an iron curtain dividing Europe. Berlin remained divided until 1989, when
East Germany opened its borders and the Berlin Wall was torn down.
nothing really interesting...