Fall of the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall was built by East Germany in August 1961 to prevent people from leaving East Berlin and East Germany for the West. Berlin had been divided after the Second World War, and in 1949 the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) were established. Although Berlin lay inside East Germany, the city itself was also divided between the Soviet and Western Allied sectors.

By the early 1960s, millions of East Germans had moved to the West, many through Berlin. The authorities therefore closed the border and built a system of walls, fences, watchtowers, and other barriers. The Wall became one of the most visible symbols of the division between the communist Eastern Bloc and Western Europe during the Cold War.

In 1989, political changes across Eastern Europe and growing public pressure in East Germany weakened the government's control. On November 9, 1989, East German official Günter Schabowski announced new travel regulations and, during a press conference, stated that they would take effect immediately. The announcement caused large crowds to gather at the border crossings.

Guards, lacking clear instructions, eventually opened the checkpoints, allowing people to cross into West Berlin. The Wall was not completely demolished that night, but its opening marked the end of the border's effective closure. In the following months, sections were dismantled, and Germany was reunified on October 3, 1990. The fall of the Berlin Wall became a major symbol of the end of the Cold War and the political transformation of Europe.