What is World Freedom Day?
Each year, the Berlin Wall's fall is commemorated on November 9th. This historic event in Central and Eastern Europe signaled the end of communism in Central and Eastern Europe.
Germany was divided into East and West Germany at the end of WWII. The two industries were divided by the American, British, and French-occupied parts of West Germany, as well as Soviet Union-controlled East Germany. East Germany became its own country in 1949. The capital city of Berlin fell within the Soviet Zone of Occupation.
The living conditions between East and West Germany were very different, as could be expected. Economic growth flourished in capitalist West Germany. In communist East Germany, the opposite happened. Many Germans defected to West Germany in order to escape communist rule's harsh conditions. East Germany had lost a significant portion of its labor force by the late 1960s, which included the majority of the country's labour force. Almost 3 million people had left East Germany between 1949 and 1961, according to the author. The Soviet Union threatened nuclear weapons to overthrown West Germany, including West Berlin, out of desperation.
Soldiers in East and West Berlin erected concrete posts and strung barbed wire between East and West Berlin on August 12-13, 1961. This event took place in the middle of the night. People in Berlin woke the next morning, they could not go to the other side of the city. Berliners couldn't cross over even if they had a job or a family on the other side. For decades, Berliners were stuck on their side of Berlin. Soldiers also built a sturdier wall a few days later.
Electric fences, watchtowers, and minefields were eventually added along the 91-mile wall. The Berlin Wall became a symbol of the Cold War.
