Why was the Berlin Wall built, and what happened when it fell?
Families were split overnight - and reunited 28 years later by accident.
The answer
The Berlin Wall was erected virtually overnight on August 13, 1961, by East Germany to stop the mass exodus of citizens to the West - 3.5 million had already fled. For 28 years, the 155-kilometer barrier divided families and became the Cold War's most powerful symbol. It fell on November 9, 1989, partly by accident: a confused East German spokesman announced new travel rules prematurely, and thousands of citizens swarmed the checkpoints before guards, lacking orders, simply stood aside.
Source: History.com
- Cold War
- Germany
- freedom
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