How did the Berlin Wall come down and why?
How did the Berlin Wall come down and why?
How did the Wall come down? It was on 9 November 1989, five days after half a million people gathered in East Berlin in a mass protest, that the Berlin Wall dividing communist East Germany from West Germany crumbled. East German leaders had tried to calm mounting protests by loosening the borders, making travel easier for East Germans.
How many people died building the Berlin Wall?
Politicians for the state government of Berlin lay flowers along the site of the Berlin Wall on Bernauer Strasse, 56 years to the day after it was constructed. At least 140 people were shot dead by East German border guards at the wall from 1961 to 1989.
What was the difference between East and West Berlin?
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic, became the Soviet Union’s foothold in Western Europe. But Berlin was split four ways, with British, French and American zones in the west of the city and a Soviet zone in the east. West Berlin became an island surrounded by communist East Germany.
When did the East German Army start patrolling the border?
East German authorities began patrolling the inner-German border in 1952. Until then it had been relatively easy to pass between the two. They sealed off West Berlin in 1961. Here, soldiers keep people from crossing as the Berlin Wall is built.
What was the “death strip” of the Berlin Wall?
Behind the wall on the East German side was a so-called “Death Strip”: a gauntlet of soft sand (to show footprints), floodlights, vicious dogs, trip-wire machine guns and patrolling soldiers with orders to shoot escapees on sight.
When did German citizens stand on top of the wall?
Germans stand on top of the Wall in front of Date 9 November 1989; 31 years ago ( 1989-11- Time 18:53–19:01 ( CET; UTC+1, press conferen Location East Berlin, East Germany West Berlin, W Cause Revolutions of 1989
How many people died trying to cross the Berlin Wall?
It was constructed as a way of preventing East Germans from entering the Western side. This 27 mile barrier consisted of two concrete walls. Between these two walls there was a ‘death strip’ approximately 160 yards wide. A total 136 people died trying to cross the Berlin Wall during its existence.
