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Episode 2

On the Berlin Wall's 50th anniversary, Gerry Northam looks at its political context and its human consequences.

On Sunday 13 August 1961, Berliners awoke to find telephone wires cut and a wall being erected across the city.

The wall, which ultimately extended for over 100 miles, separated them from family, friends and jobs for 28 years.

In so doing, it became a potent symbol of the Cold War.

On the 50th anniversary of the Berlin Wall going up Gerry Northam examines the Wall’s political context and re-visits the day which signified the peak of the Cold War, the constant threat of nuclear war, and the human price paid for yet more failed ideologies.

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23 minutes

Last on

Sun 28 Aug 2011 13:05GMT

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  • Tue 23 Aug 2011 08:05GMT
  • Tue 23 Aug 2011 12:05GMT
  • Tue 23 Aug 2011 15:05GMT
  • Tue 23 Aug 2011 19:05GMT
  • Wed 24 Aug 2011 01:05GMT
  • Sun 28 Aug 2011 13:05GMT