the berlin wall

• The Berlin Wall played a key part in the Cold War, dividing the free capitalist state of West Berlin and the communist East Berlin that had merged to be part of the USSR.
• The living conditions in the West compared to the East were very different, with the superpowers having poured a lot of money into their section of Berlin.
• The West had a more progressive culture compared to the East, with higher standards of living.
• The standards of living in the East were much lower than in the West.
• Walter Ulbricht ruled the communist East with an iron fist, and many despised his rule.
• Many East Berliners were trapped after the Hungarian Uprising was crushed by Khrushchev, realizing that it was practically impossible to overthrow the Soviet control.
• Many East Berliners fled to West Berlin, with skilled workers having a massive economic impact on East Berlin.
• Life under communism looked damaging compared to life under capitalism.
• In 1961, Christiev built the Berlin Wall to divide the East from the West, first made from barbed wire but later becoming thick concrete and guarded by soldiers.
• The Berlin Wall divided thousands of people from their families and workplaces, almost leading to armed conflict between the superpowers.
• After the Berlin Wall was built, U.S diplomats and their soldiers continued to cross over into the East, but in October 1961 Soviet tanks blocked Checkpoint Charlie and refused to move.
• U.S tanks appeared and there was a standoff between both sides for 18 hours, with a high risk of both tanks firing.
• Eventually, both sides retreated and no shots were fired.
• The Berlin Wall was demolished in 1989.