Cold War Era Questions
The Berlin Wall was a physical barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in 1961 to restrict movement between East and West Berlin. It was built to prevent East Berliners from fleeing to the more prosperous West Berlin and to stop the infiltration of Western ideas and influence into East Germany. The wall consisted of concrete walls, barbed wire, guard towers, and other security measures, effectively dividing the city into two separate entities. It restricted movement by making it extremely difficult for East Berliners to cross into West Berlin, with only limited and heavily controlled checkpoints available for authorized individuals. The wall became a symbol of the Cold War and the division between the communist East and the capitalist West. It stood as a physical manifestation of the ideological and political differences between the two sides and remained in place until its fall in 1989, marking the end of the Cold War era.