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• At the Yalta Conference in 1945, after World War Two, it was decided that Germany would be split into four zones. The Soviet Union, UK, America and France would each control a zone. Berlin, which was in the Soviet zone, would also be divided into four.
• In August 1961, the Soviet Union began to build a wall around West Berlin, which was controlled by the USA, UK, and France. The Berlin Wall remained in place until 1989. It became a symbol of the Cold War and the division between East and West.

In 1961, Berlin was in the Soviet-controlled zone of East Germany and was split into East Berlin and West Berlin. The agreement made at the Yalta Conference in 1945 had said the division of Germany was supposed to be temporary, until free and fair elections could be held. It was clear by 1961 that this was not going to happen.

The economy of West Germany, controlled by the UK, America and France, was thriving. Between 1945 and 1961, over 3 million East German citizens migrated to West Germany seeking better opportunities. Before the construction of the Berlin Wall, it was easy to move freely between the Soviet sector and the West. A sign marked the crossing point between the two sides.

Many well-educated and professional workers were leaving as they were able to earn better wages in West Germany, which consequently had a terrible impact on the East German economy. It has been argued that this rejection of communism was a propaganda disaster for East Germany and the communist regime.

At the Vienna Summit in June 1961, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev insisted that the US give up their control of West Berlin and allowed it to become part of East Germany, controlled by the Soviets. American President John F. Kennedy said he could not agree to such a demand.

At the Vienna Summit in June 1961, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev insisted that the US give up their control of West Berlin and allow it to become part of East Germany, controlled by the Soviets. American President John F. Kennedy said he could not agree to such a demand.

On 13 August 1961, a barbed wire fence was erected along the border between East and West Berlin. The Soviets claimed the purpose of the fence was to stop espionage. They accused agents from the West of coming into the East and spying on them. This fence was quickly replaced by a tall concrete wall, which went all around West Berlin, and was patrolled by armed guards. East Berlin citizens were told that if they tried to leave and escape into West Berlin they would be considered dissenters, and that they would be killed.

The Berlin Wall was built with no prior warning, and many people were separated from their families and loved ones. People from East Berlin were barred from crossing the wall and entering West Berlin, and the wall was patrolled by armed guards who were ordered to shoot escapees.

West Berlin prospered after the building of the Berlin Wall as they benefited from investment from America. Troops from the US, UK and France remained stationed in the West after the construction of the wall. There was road access from West Berlin to West Germany, so the population could still travel with more freedom than East German citizens.

East Berlin was not as economically successful as West Berlin. Consumer goods were harder to come by and many East Berlin citizens describe their life behind the wall as claustrophobic and plagued by shortages. For example, the waiting list to purchase a car was as long as ten years. The psychological impact of the Wall became known as ‘Wall sickness’, as people struggled to cope with the impact of the division of Germany.

However, the communist government continued to try to show the superiority of communism over capitalism. For example, a huge TV Tower was built in East Berlin, near the border with the West. At 368 metres tall, it was intended to be both a symbol of Communist power and of Berlin. It continues to be the tallest building in Germany.

There were many people in East Berlin who were desperate to seek a more prosperous life in the West. Between 1961 and 1989, thousands of people who were living in the East successfully escaped to the West. But in that time at least 140 people lost their lives trying to cross the divide.

Foreigners were allowed to enter East Berlin from West Berlin, and America regularly sent diplomats and officials into the Soviet sector through Checkpoint Charlie, one of the guarded crossing points between East and West. On 22 October 1961, an American diplomat and his wife were refused entry into East Berlin because they would not show the guards their documents.

In retaliation, General Clay, who was in charge of the American forces in Berlin, sent tanks to the crossing point. The incident soon escalated, and before long both US and Soviet tanks were facing each other, only 75 metres apart. Had either side opened fire, a border clash could have escalated into a full-scale war. Six days later, both sides backed down and removed their tanks. War was avoided and West Berlin remained under control of the Western allies.

On 26 June 1963, US President John F. Kennedy visited West Berlin. He stood in front of the Berlin Wall and gave a speech in front of more than 100,000 West Berliners. He famously said ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’, meaning ‘I am a Berliner’, showing that America stood side-by-side with the people of West Berlin.

By 1989, the Eastern bloc was coming under pressure. There were protests in Polish shipyards and the Soviet Union was involved in a difficult war in Afghanistan. Mikhail Gorbachev, the leader of the Soviet Union, was now promoting policies of openness and reform.

On 9 November 1989, the East German border guards opened checkpoints and allowed people to travel freely across the border into the West. Before long, thousands of people began to flood into West Berlin and started to tear down the wall. On 13 June 1990, the East German Border Troops officially began dismantling the Wall.

The Berlin Wall marked a shift in Soviet attitude towards Berlin. They had previously been aiming to make Berlin part of the Eastern bloc. The wall was a recognition that West Berlin was going to remain capitalist. The Berlin Wall was a huge propaganda victory for the West. It suggested communism needed to build a wall to keep people under their control.

In Germany today, small segments of the wall are in place as a reminder of the time when the city was divided. A line of cobbles marks the border where the wall once stood.