The Berlin wall 1961

• By 1961 there were stark differences in living standards between the two sides of Berlin. People from East Berlin were fleeing to West Berlin & By 1962 2.7 million people had left.
• Because of so many people leaving east berlin was experiencing a "Brain Drain" of young, skilled workers. It also highlighted the terrible conditions in east berlin.
• On 13 August 1961, Khrushchev ordered the building of a massive wall dividing East and West Berlin.  

  • Armed guards patrolled the wall.  
  • Those who attempted to cross the wall without permission were shot.  

  The USA protested but did nothing – the US President, John F. Kennedy, was unwilling to risk a war.  
• The Wall became an international symbol of the Cold War. It divided families, friends and communities. Many Germans felt that they had been betrayed by their leaders.
• The Wall remained until November 1989 when it fell as part of the collapse of communism across Eastern Europe.