On the night of August 12 and 13, 1961, East German soldiers and police began installing barbed wire fences and posts around Berlin to block all traffic across its borders, including underground trains.
A no man's land patrolled by dogs and equipped with landmines separating two sides of the city came to symbolize its division into two ideological blocs - thus giving rise to what became known as The Wall.
Construction
At the conclusion of World War II, its victors determined that Germany should be divided among zones controlled by different Allied powers. A key decision was how Berlin should be handled: split in half with each half becoming capital of a new German state. At Yalta and Potsdam conferences it was agreed upon that western parts would fall under American, British, French control while eastern portions would become Soviet territory.
So as to prevent West Berliners from leaving their sector of Berlin, Allied occupation forces quickly began building a wall around it. At first it consisted of only basic fencing topped with barbed wire, guarded by watchtowers and gun emplacements; later on it evolved into an extensive system of walls and electrified fences with guard patrol parapets and minefields - by 1980 it covered 28 miles (45 km). By this point the GDR still maintained access to Berlin; no man's land lay between this fortification system and it - making movement impossible.
Due to the risk involved, East Germans attempted to flee. By the time it was complete, over 130 had died attempting to cross or enter West Germany via the Wall; Ida Siekmann became the first victim when she committed suicide by jumping out her third floor apartment just days before its construction was complete.
President John Kennedy made an impressive statement during his visit to Berlin in June 1963: he denounced the wall and pledged his solidarity with its citizens by repeating, "Ich bin ein Berliner." Despite growing demonstrations for freedom throughout summer 1963, Western powers still did not fully comprehend that GDR regime had begun to crumble.
On November 9, 1989, the dismantling of the barrier began in earnest. Private citizens started dismantling whole sections of concrete wall by themselves. Bernauer Strasse section was then placed under protection as an historic monument in 1990; regularly scheduled prayer services to honor Wall victims are still held there today.
History
Before the Wall came down, Berliners from both sides could freely cross between East and West Berlin for shopping, work or theater and movie attendance, or taking trains back and forth. Once constructed however, East/West Berlin were cut off. People living directly along sector boundaries needed special permission from government in order to visit friends on either side; otherwise it would require long and dangerous walk across.
Officially, the Wall was constructed to defend East Germany against Western "fascists" attempting to undermine communist systems from outside. It was known as an Antifascist Protective Wall or Schutzwall.
Most observers concur that the Wall was created primarily to keep out West Germans and other Westerners not affiliated with the Communist Party. Many such individuals worked as NATO spies or anti-communist agitators after World War II; to prevent their return into East German soil and undermine its socialist economy. The Wall served this function effectively.
Initial reaction to the Wall's construction made worldwide headlines; US and other Western nations went on high alert, fearful that Soviet-backed invasion forces might move against West Berlin.
At first, thousands of East Germans began gathering at checkpoints that formed the barrier, demanding to be let through. Armed guards at these checkpoints quickly found themselves overwhelmed, calling in for instructions from officials at their superiors; initially these instructions included stamping passports with seals that prevented their return - effectively revoking citizenship status.
Others attempted to scale or leap over the walls, but these attempts proved hazardous due to fortifications, barbed wire, and the Grepo (border police). Other escapees tried digging tunnels beneath or flying makeshift hot air balloons over it in attempt to escape.
Though East German authorities maintained tight control, defections and attempts at escape continued, increasing pressure for change. On November 9, 1989, Politburo member Guenter Schabowski made an announcement lifting travel restrictions to Western destinations.
Defections
After 10 years, discontent over economic and political conditions in East Germany caused thousands to flee across to West Berlin. To prevent further migration, East German officials sealed off sector borders of Berlin using barbed wire fencing initially but later shifting towards segments of concrete with lighting, alarm systems, and watchtowers as barriers between two sides of Berlin.
Even after World War II had concluded and the victorious allies established occupation zones across Germany - American, British and French forces in the West; Soviet forces in the East; however Berlin received special treatment; remaining as an autonomous capital within Communist Russia's zone but remaining democratic and capitalist despite this division of Germany that created what Winston Churchill called "The Iron Curtain," with democratic states aligned with Moscow on one side, while dictatorial regimes aligned against it on the other.
Even with rigorous security measures in place, escape attempts persisted despite these safeguards. Within the first days of the Wall's existence alone, Conrad Schumann leapt over a barrier toward freedom; train engineer Harry Deterling drove his locomotive through an opening in the Wall; and students dug tunnels which led to 57 successful escape attempts, sending shockwaves through the regime and fuelling outrage against its policies. These publicized defections shocked and scandalized its policies while creating widespread outrage against it.
As Mikhail Gorbachev implemented liberal reforms outlined by Glasnost (openness) and Perestroika (restructuring), defections accelerated. By November 1989, when one official made awkward comments at a press conference called Schabowski said their statement could lead to its collapse almost overnight, many observers found this unprecedented. But in retrospect it's easier to recognize that conditions that had supported GDR survival had already vanished long before Schabowski spoke up.
Schulke used photography throughout his career to capture both the mythic and symbolic qualities of events as well as their physical reality. His approach in Berlin mirrored that of his work documenting America's Civil Rights movement during the 1950s; for him, the wall served both metaphorically and physically: it represented "fear built," while hate stood guard behind its walls. Schulke's photos from Bernauer Strasse are now part of an open-air museum dedicated to remembering those who sacrificed themselves in pursuit of freedom; his Bernauer Strasse photos show just how powerful monuments can be in their depictions of fearful monuments can be.
Fall
The fall of the Berlin Wall marked a pivotal point in history and signaled an end to Soviet control over East Germany as well as Europe as a whole. For many people it marked a final step on their long road towards freedom.
After World War II, at the Yalta and Potsdam peace conferences it was decided that Germany would be divided into four Allied occupation zones: East would go to Russia; while its western portion would be split among United States, Great Britain, France and Berlin's capital status; Berlin itself became divided physically with East Berliners living under communist regime with limited freedoms and controlled economy while those living on its western side enjoyed democratic freedoms as well as access to Western culture.
Unhappy with their economic and political situation, residents from Eastern parts of Russia began fleeing in droves through gaps in the Iron Curtain into West Germany - eventually becoming such an overwhelming trend that it became cause for alarm among Soviet officials.
By 1989, tension had decreased dramatically as Hungary opened its borders to permit East Germans to travel across its territory into West Germany - leading them out from under control of East German government and into freedom and democracy.
On November 9, 1989, Communist Politburo member Guenter Schabowski made the historic announcement that East Germany was lifting travel restrictions to the West, enabling its citizens to enter through border crossing points in their own cities and towns. Overnight on November 10-11th jubilant crowds began dismantling the concrete barrier with hands, pickaxes, sledgehammers and shovels - marking its fall into history as it crumbled away before our eyes. This signaled the start of its end.
Though it might seem incredible, a massive and intimidating structure like the Soviet Union could disintegrate overnight after some embarrassing remarks from a Communist politician during a press conference, in reality its foundations had already started crumbling away - no longer having leverage to suppress popular revolt in its satellite countries; and Gorbachev revoking Brezhnev's doctrine of intervening militarily against rebellions caused by popular discontentment in their satellite countries were key factors.
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