Select Page

When Was the Berlin Wall Built?

by | Mar 7, 2024 | World War Tour Berlin

The Berlin Wall was one of the landmark symbols of the Cold War, and was a line that separated East from West Berlin. For almost three decades (1961 to 1989) it stood as a physical barrier.

The Berlin Wall That was Constructed

The Berlin Wall was built on the night of August 12, 1961. Political tensions and ideological differences, but also the East German government’s desire to contain citizens from leaving the country, were the result. The government denied it was overnight and instead said it was a reaction to a steady flow of East Germans toward more prosperous West Berlin.

Reasons for Construction

The construction of the Berlin Wall can be attributed to several factors:

Political divisions: Germany was split into an occupation zone by each of the different Allied powers after World War II. In 1949, this division finally resulted in the creation of East Germany (German Democratic Republic) and West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany). As citizens in East Germany began to demand better living conditions in West Germany, communist ruled East Germany continued to find it increasingly difficult to govern.

Mass emigration: Between 1949 and 1961 some 2.6 million East Germans left for the West, a sizeable drain on the Eastern bloc’s brains and economy. The East German government, with Soviet backing, for its part erected a physical barrier.

Political instability: The threat to the government’s control came through the exodus of skilled workers and intellectuals combined with East German citizen discontent. The construction of the wall was intended to end the mass emigration as well as stabilizing political situation.

The Construction Process

The Berlin Wall was built in only a few hours. Military personnel joined East German authorities behind barbed wire barriers, standing guard and closing streets along the borders separating East Berlin from West Berlin. Eventually, the first barbed wire was replaced with a more durable wall of concrete, some 12 feet high and only four feet wide.

The Impact of the Berlin Wall

The construction of the Berlin Wall had profound effects on Germany, Europe, and the world as a whole:

Political Consequences

The Berlin Wall, so stark a symbol of the division between East and West, and the greater ideological conflicts of the Cold War, channeled easily into the kind of controversy that surrounds cultural items restored from dust and decay. By separating the Communist Eastern Bloc from the capitalist Western Bloc, it reinforced the separation. In the end it made the political tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, and the world, even more polarized.

Humanitarian Impact

The process of separation broke up family, friends and loved ones causing great emotional pain and psychological trauma. East Berliners were under strict controls and had very little free movement. It was desperate, and there were numerous attempts that turned out to be escapes that all had extremely bad endings.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

The fall of the Berlin Wall symbolized the end of the Cold War and heralded a new era of political and social change:

Events Leading to Its Fall

The fall of the Soviet Union, and the democratization movements of Eastern Europe, opened the door for Berlin Wall to be dismantled. The historically momentous events of 1989 emanated from wide spread protests and demonstration as well as a loosening of restrictions on travel.

The Fall and Reunification

On November 9, 1989, for instance, the government of East Germany said that travel restrictions for its citizens were no longer being imposed. The wall was breached when the guards were overwhelmed and tens of thousands of people gathered at the border crossings. When the Berlin Wall crumbled in November, 1989, the world celebrated and reunited, Germany eventually unified October 3, 1990.

In Conclusion

World history was changed in 1961, when Berlin Wall was built. This was a physical expression of the ideological line that existed during the Cold War. It was a great influence on politics, society and individuals. Change of this kind, effected by the fall of the Berlin Wall, spread and meant forever: freedom and unity over division and oppression.

When Was the Berlin Wall Built?