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The Berlin Wall was one of the most famous walls in modern history, dividing a nation for 28 years and playing a significant role in a conflict called the Cold War.
Back in the 1950s, Germany was split into two - East Germany and West Germany. The country's capital Berlin was actually located in East Germany, but the city was portioned up between east and western powers too - and a wall put up between the two. At first, it was just a fence, but it was soon filled with concrete and was up to 3.6 metres tall in some places. The idea was the wall would stop people fleeing from poorer, Communist East Berlin (and Soviet rule) into Western Europe. Many hundreds of people died trying to cross it in the hope of a better life on the other side.
The Berlin Wall became a symbol of oppression and control inflicted by East Germany and the Soviets on its citizens. The arrival of US President Ronald Reagan in 1980 and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985 saw the east and west start to work together more in order to sort their differences and learn to coexist. In November 1989, the border was declared open and people in Berlin began to tear the wall down. To this day, the Berlin Wall - and what is left of it - remains a powerful symbol of the impact of division. Millions of tourists visit what's left of the wall each year. (from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/48279965)
From:https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/29913833
The Berlin Wall divided Germany for nearly three decades and served as one of the most contentious sites of the Cold War.
Officially known on the East German side as the Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart, this infamous wall is an extraordinary example of a society’s attempt to halt the movement of its own people, separating Germans (and often families) into two different worlds. The Soviet, eastern side of Germany had a vested interest in keeping out the ideals, culture, and economic models of the West during the Cold War. Upon completion, the wall stood 87 miles long with another wall running parallel to the original just 300 feet behind it. In its infancy the wall was primarily made of barbed wire but over time it evolved into an extremely formidable border. Concrete, barbed wire, and a no man’s land of coverless space between the walls makes this barrier system one of the most daunting walls in human history. It was not to persist, however. In October of 1989, the East German government decided to allow some citizens to emigrate to West Germany, which resulted in a swarming of the wall checkpoints by thousands of citizens. And on November 9, the Berlin Wall was officially opened. (from: https://origins.osu.edu/connecting-history/top-ten-origins-walls?language_content_entity=en)