The+Berlin+Wall

__**The Berlin ﻿**____**Wall**__  ===The Berlin Wall was built on August 13, 1961 by the German Democratic Republic of East Germany. This barrier was built to keep East Germans from escaping into West Germany. East Germany was under a strict communist government and the people were being suppressed. In West Germany the people had more freedom so the East Germans were trying to cross the border and come into West Germany to start a better life. Approximately 2.5 million East Germans had fled from East Germany to West Germany. This created a problem for East Germany. This loss threatened to destroy the economic capability of Eastern Germany and this is one of the reasons they built the Berlin Wall. === ===It was constructed of cinder blocks but was later replaced by a series of concrete walls that was topped with the barbed wire. 466 guards on were on duty with machine-guns in the watchtowers and the wall was also reinforced with guard dog patrols and mines. Between 1961 and 1989 around 5,000 people attempted to escape over the wall and it was estimated that over a hundred people were killed trying to climb and escape over the wall. The Berlin Wall was finally reopened in November 9, 1989 and then later taken down in 1990. === === ===

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