The Berlin Wall Falls

Setting the scene

After World War II, Germany was divided into four occupation zones. By 1949, the US, UK, and French zones became West Germany, while the Soviet zone became East Germany. Berlin, deep inside East Germany, was similarly divided. Between 1949-1961, 3.5 million East Germans—20% of the population—fled to the West through Berlin, including many professionals. The East German economy was collapsing, and Soviet leader Khrushchev demanded Western powers leave Berlin.

What happened

On August 13, 1961, East German troops began building a barbed-wire barrier around West Berlin, later replaced by a 96-mile concrete wall 12 feet high with guard towers, dogs, and a 'death strip.' The wall split families, streets, and the city overnight. Over 28 years, at least 140 people were killed trying to cross, including Peter Fechter, who bled to death in 1962 as guards watched. The wall became the Cold War's most potent symbol of communist oppression and the Iron Curtain.

Why it still matters

On November 9, 1989, after weeks of protests and a botched press conference where an official mistakenly said travel restrictions were lifted 'immediately,' East Berliners flooded border crossings. Guards, overwhelmed, opened the gates. West Berliners welcomed East Germans with champagne, and people danced on the wall and chipped it apart with hammers. The fall led to German reunification on October 3, 1990, and symbolized the Cold War's end. The Soviet Union collapsed two years later. Pieces of the wall are now displayed worldwide as monuments to freedom's triumph over tyranny.

Background

German reunification followed the next year.