The crisis in Berlin - Kieran (sep 2, 1945 – aug 13, 1961)

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After WWII ended in 1945, Germany was divided into four zones controlled by the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and France. Even though Berlin was located deep inside the Soviets’ control, it was also divided among the four allied powers. As time passed, tensions escalated between the Soviet Union and its other allies, and Berlin emerged as a major point of conflict. The United States and its allies supported democracy and capitalism in West Berlin, while the Soviet Union forced communism in East Berlin.

By the late 1950s, millions of people started fleeing East Germany to West Germany through Berlin to escape poverty and communism. To stop this massive immigration, the East German government, supported by the Soviets, built the Berlin Wall on August 13, 1961. The wall stood directly between East and West Berlin and served as a powerful symbol of the Cold War. It represented the deep political and economic divide between the communists in the East and the democrats in the West.

History.com Editors. “Berlin Wall | HISTORY , Dates & the Fall | HISTORY.” HISTORY, 15 Dec. 2009, www.history.com/articles/berlin-wall.

‌The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Berlin Wall | Definition, Length, & Facts.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 20 Sept. 2018, www.britannica.com/topic/Berlin-Wall.

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