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What was the Berlin Wall?

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Quick answer

The Berlin Wall was a guarded concrete barrier that divided the city of Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating communist East Germany from democratic West Germany. It became the defining symbol of the Cold War — and its fall, of freedom.

Key things to understand

  1. Built in 1961 by East Germany to stop people fleeing to the West.
  2. It physically and symbolically split Berlin for 28 years.
  3. It became the iconic symbol of the Cold War divide.
  4. Its fall in 1989 led to German reunification and the Cold War's end.

People also ask

Why was the Berlin Wall built?
To stop East Germans escaping to the democratic, prosperous West.
When did the Berlin Wall fall?
In November 1989, amid mass protests and political change across the Eastern Bloc.
What did the Berlin Wall symbolize?
The division between the communist East and democratic West during the Cold War.