Cold War: Berlin Wall
By Cynthia T. Ryan
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Last updated over 2 years ago
1 Question
Note from the author:
Inquiry activity of the Berlin Wall as part of the Cold War Unit 10
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a physical barrier that separated West Berlin from East Berlin and the rest of East Germany until the East German government relaxed border controls on November 9, 1989, amid massive prodemocracy demonstrations as a flood of refugees fled East Germany for the West via Czechoslovakia. The wall was a 13-foot concrete barrier that snaked through Berlin, effectively sealing off West Berlin from ground access except on terms acceptable to the East German government. More than 23,400 East Germans fled to the West across the Wall, although hundreds died trying to escape across it.
Cold War confrontation only deepened German division, and the best way to overcome it was to accept realities first and work toward changing them later. Yet the Berlin Wall and its vast and various hinterland fortifications became an almost insurmountable obstacle for attempts to flee into West Berlin. Only in the years immediately after 1961 did a significant number of escapes succeed, among them many attempts through underground tunnels and with the support of organized rings of Fluchthelfer(flight helpers). The East German border guards' shoot-to-kill order against refugees resulted in about 250–300 deaths between August 24, 1961, and February 2, 1989.
In October 1989, the East German regime gave in to pressure from massive demonstrations in all major East German cities and frantically enacted various reforms to consolidate its crumbling power. When SED Politburo member Gunter Schabowski announced a revised version of East Germany's Travel Law during an international press conference on November 9, 1989, thousands of East Germans streamed to Berlin border crossings and forced their opening. Within days, amid scenes of jubilation, people took hammers and chiseled away the wall piece by piece. City contractors began to remove large segments. Visa requirements to enter West and East Berlin were waived on December 22, 1989, though passport checks officially remained in place until June 30, 1990. Remnants of the Berlin Wall became souvenirs and traveled all over the world. Larger chunks were shredded and utilized for road construction in Germany. Today, only a few sections of the wall can still be seen.
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1.
Decide on the best method to leave East Germany by escaping into West Berlin. How would you do it? Be as detailed as possible.
Decide on the best method to leave East Germany by escaping into West Berlin. How would you do it? Be as detailed as possible.