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The Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall was constructed on August 13, 1961, by
the German Democratic Republic (East Berlin). It was
built overnight and was originally made of barbed wire,
encircling West Berlin. On August 15, 1961, the concrete
(more permanent) reconstruction of the wall began.
The government allowed people to cross the wall for
the first time on November 9, 1989.
East German workers building the wall
Woman fleeing East Berlin August 12, 1961

After World War II, the Potsdam Conference was held
to discuss the treaties of the war. It was decided that
the United States, the Soviet Union, France and Britain
would each occupy a portion of Germany and that
Berlin itself (the capital), would also be divided into 4
sections.
Allied occupation of Germany
after WW II
From left to right, Winston Churchill,
Harry Truman and Josef Stalin at the
Potsdam Conference in the summer of
1945
Berlin

From 1948 - 1961, more than 3 million East German
citizens travelled to the West through Berlin. This was
one-fifth of the East German population and was
mostly the young and well-educated. Many Eastern
Germans crossed into the West each day to work for
higher wages and did not contribute to the East economy,
resulting in the Western Deutsche Mark being
worth 4- 6 times more than the Eastern Deutsche Mark.

The wall had a perimeter of 155 km, 302 watchtowers,
259 dog runs, 20 bunkers and more than 11,000 soldiers
on guard.
Watchtower along the Berlin Wall