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Aug 21, 2024 · The Berlin Wall was built by the German Democratic Republic during the Cold War to prevent its population from escaping Soviet-controlled East Berlin to West Berlin, which was controlled by the major Western Allies. It divided the city of Berlin into two physically and ideologically contrasting zones.
- West Berlin
West Berlin, the western part of the German city of Berlin,...
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Berlin Wall, barrier that surrounded West Berlin and...
- West Berlin
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- The Berlin Airlift
- Lessons of The Airlift
- Kennedy Squares Off Against Khrushchev
- “The Endangered Frontier of Freedom Runs Through Divided Berlin”
- Emigration from The East
- Building The Berlin Wall
- Mass Emigration Begins Anew
- The Berlin Wall Comes Down
By 1961, Berlin had long been a symbol of freedom and resistance to Communist expansionism during the Cold War. The conflict began in late June 1948, when the Soviet Union cut off all land communications to West Berlin. Within days, all supplies to the city, including electricity, were cut off. General Lucius Clay, the commander of American forces ...
The Americans and British learned several lessons from the airlift. First, they learned restraint, but also the need to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to the people of Berlin, Germany, and all of Western Europe. Technically, as the Soviets noted, Berlin was behind the Iron Curtain. But Berlin was an outpost of freedom, a symbol of Western commit...
The American presidential election of 1960 guaranteed a generational change in leadership. Incoming Democratic President John F. Kennedy believed that his Republican predecessor, Dwight D. Eisenhower, had not been tough enough with the Soviets. Kennedy would stand up to the Soviets in Europe and the developing world. At the same time, he would resp...
On June 4, 1961, the Soviets issued a document demanding a four-power conference to come up with a peace treaty for both Germanys and a final settlement of the Berlin issue. They were willing to accept another temporary settlement, but only for a limited and specific period of time. Should the West not agree to Soviet conditions, the Soviets would ...
The underlying cause of the new Berlin crisis was not just Soviet bluster or Khrushchev playing power politics within his own government. The Iron Curtain effectively did not yet exist between East and West Berlin. People went back and forth daily by the thousands. However, sizable numbers of people who went across to West Berlin stayed there perma...
The East Germans were closing the border. Ulbrecht, despite his earlier statements, had gotten Soviet permission to build a wall. The wall actually started out as barbed wire emplacements blocking off exits, with the actual wall being constructed a few months later. The afternoon the wall was started, a young boy talked his way across the wall. The...
In August 1989, a large group of East Germans were at a picnic in Hungary. The Hungarians had already removed the border fortifications facing Austria; they now opened the gates. Some 661 East Germans celebrated European Unity Day by walking across the border into Austria. Eventually, 325,000 East Germans joined them, a far greater number than in 1...
November 9, 1989, would come to be considered one of the most important days in world history. That morning, attempting to solve the problem of refugees crowding into Prague, the East German government passed new regulations to permit freer travel with visas. Basically, the Krenz government was opening the borders. Crowds began to gather that eveni...
Dec 15, 2009 · The official purpose of this Berlin Wall was to keep so-called Western “fascists” from entering East Germany and undermining the socialist state, but it primarily served the objective of stemming...
The Berlin Wall (German: Berliner Mauer, pronounced [bɛʁˌliːnɐ ˈmaʊɐ] ⓘ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany).
A political symbol. Over time, particular points along the Berlin Wall became well-known symbols of the division. Checkpoint Charlie, a border crossing between the former American and Soviet regions of the city, was famous for its sign that boldly stated, “You are leaving the American sector.”.
May 26, 2024 · The Berlin Wall, though physically dismantled, remains a powerful symbol of the Cold War era and the division of Germany. Its construction, existence, and eventual fall have had a lasting impact on the city of Berlin, Germany, and the world.
Nov 8, 2019 · Why the Berlin Wall rose—and how it fell. The ugly symbol of the Cold War was built to keep East Germans from escaping to the West. A decades-long fight to flee brought it down.
