Berlin Wall

Berlin Wall, 1961–89, a barrier first erected in Aug., 1961, by the East German government along the border between East and West Berlin, and later extended along the entire border between East Germany and West Germany. It was built to halt large numbers of defections and to prevent E. Berliners commuting to the West. Erected at a time of growing tension between East and West, the barbed wire was eventually replaced by concrete topped with wire. In 1989, after hundreds of thousands of East Germans had fled westward via Hungary and Czechoslovakia, on Nov. 9, the beleaguered East German regime lifted travel restrictions, and days later dismantling of the wall began. Built to keep people in, the wall was dismantled in a failed gamble by the Communists to keep power. By Jan., 1990, the regime was selling large slabs of the wall for hard currency, and had set December for its total demolition. In Oct., 1990, however, East Germany was formally reabsorbed into the Federal Republic of Germany and only short sections of the wall remained standing, as memorials.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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