History of the Berlin Wall
At the end of World War II, the allies offered aid and financial assistance to Germany after the war to help stabilize the countries. The allies also provided help in re-establishment of government. The capital Berlin became the capital of East Germany. The United States, France, and Great Britain combined to form West Germany while Russia controlled East Germany.
The economic system in West Germany was described as Wirtschaftswunder, which means economic miracle. This describes the rapid reconstruction and development of the economy of West Germany. The living conditions in West Germany is very well with luxuries such as telephones, washing machines, TVs, and more.
The economic system in East Germany is poor. East Germany was not able to improve after the devastation caused by the war. The living conditions of East Germany are not as good or luxurious as the conditions in West Germany but, they were being improved.
By late 1950, East German people were leaving to live in West Germany. East Germany lost about 8,507 people to West Germany by 1961. On August 12-13, 1961, the East Germans began construction on the Berlin Wall. The wall stretched 103 miles long and 12 feet high. The Berlin Wall was first constructed in segments. The final construction of the Berlin Wall was made with concrete segments which were easy to build up and more resistant to breakthroughs. The Soviet Union built the Berlin Wall to block off their section which was East Germany.
Some of the escape attempts of the East Germans include people trying to climb over the wall or the fences, they would jump out of houses, which were in the border area, or dig tunnels that were build to escape. The Berlin Wall fell and the border was opened because the communist block around both West and East Germany began to fail letting people escape and suddenly the announcement was made that permanent relocation can be done through all borders.
The economic system in West Germany was described as Wirtschaftswunder, which means economic miracle. This describes the rapid reconstruction and development of the economy of West Germany. The living conditions in West Germany is very well with luxuries such as telephones, washing machines, TVs, and more.
The economic system in East Germany is poor. East Germany was not able to improve after the devastation caused by the war. The living conditions of East Germany are not as good or luxurious as the conditions in West Germany but, they were being improved.
By late 1950, East German people were leaving to live in West Germany. East Germany lost about 8,507 people to West Germany by 1961. On August 12-13, 1961, the East Germans began construction on the Berlin Wall. The wall stretched 103 miles long and 12 feet high. The Berlin Wall was first constructed in segments. The final construction of the Berlin Wall was made with concrete segments which were easy to build up and more resistant to breakthroughs. The Soviet Union built the Berlin Wall to block off their section which was East Germany.
Some of the escape attempts of the East Germans include people trying to climb over the wall or the fences, they would jump out of houses, which were in the border area, or dig tunnels that were build to escape. The Berlin Wall fell and the border was opened because the communist block around both West and East Germany began to fail letting people escape and suddenly the announcement was made that permanent relocation can be done through all borders.