The Background

The Berlin Wall was a very symbolic and real physical division of East and West Germany constructed by the GDR in August of 1961 and which stood until 1989. To its construction the cleavage between east and west communism and capitalism was firmly established. Before we look at how long it took to build the Berlin Wall, let us look at what led up to the construction of the wall.

The Rapid Construction

Almost overnight, barbed wire barriers popped up across Berlin on August 13, 1961: they cut through the streets, parks and neighborhoods block by block. Soon after this first stage of construction, concrete parts were added to strengthen the wall. In several hours the temporary barrier arose before the people as an embodiment of the Iron Curtain.

Phase One: Barbed Wire Fences

During the first stage of the construction, the GDR’s border guards began to lay barbed wires, which, in approximate, surrounded West Berlin and amounted to around 155 km (96 ml).

Phase Two: Concrete Elements

The second phase involved construction of cast-in-place reinforced concrete segments which would coalesce into a single barrier, to replace barbed wire. These segments were called “Grenzmauer 75” and measured about 3.6 meters (11.8 feet) in height and were estimated to weigh around 2700 kilograms (2.75 tons) each.

The Timeframe

Starting with the erection of barbed wired fences, the building of the Berlin Wall was completed within two weeks. This is indeed a very short time given that the desire of the GDR government was to quickly put in place a physical barrier that would ensure that more of its people could not Cross over to West berlin.

Significance and Impact

The social political and economical impacts of the Berlin Wall brought division among the eastern and the western side. Here are some key factors to consider:

Isolation and Control

The division of Berlin by building the Wall made it impossible for anyone from East Berlin to interact with the west. It pull apart families, part friends and dismantled communities. The wall was eye-opening, and the German Democratic Republic had always portrayed the freedom of the citizens was still a farce.

Escape Attempts

Even though the wall was built to keep East Germans in the eastern side of Berlin and West Germans out, it did not stop[S] people from escaping to West. Thankfully, it was not impossible to cross the border since there were always stories from other people who have crossed the border through other ingenious and risky ways.

Impact on East Berlin

A major challenge that the East Berliners had to experience was the nature of the regime that was so corrupt that it monopolized so much control over the lives of its people. The wall restricted their chances of getting better jobs, democracy, and personal freedom to a great extend.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

Finally in November 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall, which divided the city for 28 years, came crashing down. The cause for this historic event was a number of demonstrations in East Berlin and the general incline of decodes in the Soviet Union.

Conclusion

It only took about two weeks to build the Berlin Wall after which East and West Berlin became officially divided. Not only did it divided the city physically but it also stressed the great gap in the two systems operative in the world; communism and capitalism. The division was least expected and this wall which was constructed in 1961 fell after thirty years in the same year that Germany celebrated the reunification or the coming together of East and West Germany.