The Berlin Wall is now a part of history but for 28 years it divided more than just a city. The wall went up just as quickly as it came down. This “wall of shame” was a blatant reminder to the entire world of communism and repression.

The Creation of the Berlin Wall

After World War II, Germany was divided in two countries. The east half was controlled by the U.S.S.R., and the west half was under the control of the U.S., Great Britain, and France. But the question about what to do with Berlin was not as easy to solve. This capitol city was in the east side, so the powers that be decided to divide the city itself. West Berlin would be under the control of U.S., Britain and France, while East Berlin would be under the Soviet control. This meant that West Berlin was basically an island of democracy surrounded by communism.

The boundary line divided families and the people of East Berlin quickly started migrating to the west. If the numbers of refugees remained high, East Berlin would not have enough people to work in the city. The Berlin Wall secretly went up on August 13, 1961. Its purpose was not to keep people out of the city, but to keep them in.

President Kennedy went to Berlin to shine a light on this situation, but it took over two more decades before the wall was taken down.

The wall stood 12 feet tall in most places and stretched 96 miles. Many people started digging tunnels under the wall to escape to the free city of West Berlin. There were other inventive ways people tried to get over the wall, but too many failed and people were killed in the process, either by accidents or by the East German patrols.

Communism Meets Democracy

The Communist grip on East Germany tightened through the years. The “Stasi,” or their secret police, spied on their own citizens and kept files of people who were thought to have sympathies with the west.