The Berlin Wall was a concrete divider, separating West Berlin from Eastern Germany. The wall began construction on August 13, 1961. It was erected by the Soviets in order to stop East Berliners and East Germans from immigrating to West Berlin. However, the astounding effect of the wall, was devastating for those who lived in Berlin. Families were separated, jobs lost, loved ones split apart and lives ruined. For a long time after the wall was built, no visits were permitted between the two borders. Escapes were attempted, some successful and others quite disastrous. Although West Berlin was the hope of all the East Germans for freedom and a better life, escapes eventually began to slacken, as the wall became stronger and the odds mounted against successful escape. East Berliners were trapped within the Soviet Communist government, and as the years rolled on, hope of any change became lost.

On May 8, 1945 WWII ended with the German Nazi’s in defeat. Shortly afterward, the main allied powers consisting of the British, French, Russians and Americans split Germany into sections. Countries from around the world began to lend support to the Germans, helping their war stricken country to heal and repair itself. The process took millions of care packages; assistance, equipment and money to help return the once beautiful German cities back to normal. The most beautiful city in Germany, Berlin, was located in the heart of the Soviet controlled sector. It had been Germany’s former capital city, and therefore the Allies decided to split it into 4 pieces. The Soviets were given the biggest portion, a little less than half of the city; the Americans were given a piece slightly bigger than the British, and the British a piece slightly larger than the French. These different sections of the city were most often referred to as either East, or West Berlin. The Soviet Union owned East Berlin and ruled the people with a brutal communist government, however, the other Allies ruled West Berlin with a much gentler hand allowing more rights and privileges.

Because of this, many East Germans began to immigrate to West Berlin, where they would catch a plane and fly out of East Germany. This made the Soviet Union mad, so they decided to close off West Berlin from East Germany, trying to force the Allies out of Berlin. They destroyed all the railroads and highways around the city and wouldn’t let the Allies get food to the West Berliners. So an enormous airlift began on June 21, 1948. Over 5,000 planes came form all over the world every week with food for the West Berliners. The airlift was extremely successful. On the planes’ return flight, refugees and immigrants were flown out of the country. On May 11, 1949 the Soviets gave up, they couldn’t take Berlin, so they stopped the blockade and the tremendous airlift ceased.

However, the East Germans continued immigrating to West Berlin. Demonstrations broke out through East Germany. Workers stopped working and joined the demonstrations against longer hours without any increase in pay. So the Soviets moved in and took care of the uprising with their tanks.

Two different governments were set up between East and West Germany. The Soviet government was strictly communist; freedom of speech, expression and other rights were prohibited. The secret police or the stasi, spied on the citizens and made sure they were following the governmental guidelines. People all over East Germany secretly worked for the stasi. The stasi had files and reports on thousands of people. Living in East Germany at that time was risky. You couldn’t be sure whether your friends or family were spying and reporting on you. During the late 1950’s over 12,000 people in Berlin, lived off of spying on their neighbors. The Government also had immense control over elections. Although the people of East Germany could vote, the government would always rig or make the final decision, whereas the West German government held elections dictated by the people.

Life in West Germany was also better because citizens could have a job and get paid much more than they could in the East. Freedom of speech and expression were also permitted, people could watch T.V. and listen to the radio without things being censored out. Also there was no need to worry about others spying on you. Compared with the east, life was like heaven for the west. In the beginning of the 1950’s the economy of West Berlin was thriving. The Americans had lent tons of money to the Berliners in order to get the economy going again, and the constant flow of East Germans fed the economy with ready workers.

Because of the many restrictions faced by the East Germans, immigration became enormous. East German workers were quickly leaking out of the country, providing the West with skilled workers. However the border between East and West Germany was rigorously guarded. So, immigrants would come to West Berlin and then take the next flight out of the Soviet controlled territories. Others would just stay in West Berlin.

After mass immigration from East Germany, the Soviet Union had had enough; they began planning ways to stop the flow. Rumors that the East Germans only possible escape might be closed, sped the surge of immigration. From July of 1961 until the wall was built, 30,000 immigrants defected every month. On the night of August 13, 1961, the Berlin wall began construction. It encompassed the entire boundary between West Berlin and the rest of East Germany. It was a concrete barrier topped off with barbed wire. In the beginning, the wall was 8 feet high. However, during the mid 1960s after successful escapes were made, the wall was reinforced to 16 feet high.

Around 45,000 border guards were drafted to guard along the Berlin Wall. They wouldn’t permit those who had been visiting East Berlin while the wall was being built, to cross the border and get back to the West. Likewise, those working or visiting relatives or friends in the West could not get back to their families in the East. Besides being trapped from without or within the wall, over 60,000 East Berliners worked in West Berlin. Every day they would cross the border and work in the West because the wages were much higher. However, now that the wall was built, they no longer had jobs.

The wall caused havoc in Berlin as well as East Germany. Now the East Germans only means of escape was blocked off and patrolled. In order to cross the border daring escape attempts were made. Some decided to make their dash while the wall was being built. Some tried to run across the border, others tried to swim across different channels, however after these escape methods were proven dangerous and not very effective, craftier ways were developed.

The wall had been built in a manner so that it did not weave around the houses on the border. Instead the house was considered part of the wall and the workers would continue building the wall on the other side of the house. People would go into those houses along the border and then climb out a window on the other side. Soon the border guards found out what was going on and boarded up the windows. Instead, people started jumping out of the 2nd and 3rd story windows, onto mattresses or firemen nets on the other side of the wall. Others took their cars and after breaking the wall by ramming it, would flee. Still others drove their cars as fast as they could go through the guarded checkpoints. Eventually the border guards cleared a 300-foot area between the wall called no mans land, evicting the inhabitants and then setting up watchtowers and patrol paths.

In 1963 people from West Berlin were permitted to visit those outside the wall. The East German Government thought this would deter attempts to escape, but it did not. Border guards had been ordered to shoot anyone trying to cross, so people slowly gave up trying to go over the wall. Instead they started digging tunnels under the wall. The tunnels were extremely successful, and hundreds of people were able to escape through them. Others would get across by stowing away in cars, then having one who is permitted to cross, drive them over. Doing this was tricky, you never knew who you could trust. Stasi agents and spies were everywhere. If you were unlucky, they would say they would help you, and then turn you in for money. One family trying to escape sewed a hot air balloon together and ballooned across.

In 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev became the new leader of the Soviet Union. At the time, the economies throughout Russia and under its control were breaking down. They all had out dated machinery and produced little. Gorbachev decided he would change communism for the good, and end the Cold War. He first gave the people back their freedom of speech. Then he introduced the Sinatra Doctrine, it let the people under Russian control have the right to choose a new government for themselves. The East German government leaders opposed this change, as did those in Czechoslovakia. The borders of the countries held by the Soviets were also opened to those living in other Soviet held countries. Immigration started again, with people flooding out of East Germany.

In 1989 protests and rallies were held against the East German Government. The East Germans wanted their freedom, but their government rejected the Sinatra doctrine because they wanted to stay in power. However, eventually communist leaders began resigning all over the country because the Soviets wouldn’t support them and help them stop the rallies and protests.

On November 10, 1989 the Soviets opened the border in Berlin. That night East and West Berliners broke down parts of the wall with sledgehammers and chisels. People celebrated in Berlin. Families reunited and flags were waved, fireworks lit the night sky. Over the next few days tractors were brought in to take chunks out of the wall. However, some sections of the wall were left standing as a tribute to those who died trying to cross.

Although these changes all over Berlin and throughout Germany were for the good, they were extremely difficult to cope with. Two completely different peoples were suddenly brought together after 28 years of separation. Different currencies had to be exchanged, and the outdated equipment of the East couldn’t compete with the new machines in the West. Westerners were much more skilled at things, while the Easterners were quite useless. Although the difficulties of uniting the separate nations were immense, on October 3, 1990 Germany was finally united again. Elections were held and a new government was installed. Germany was now an independent nation.