The construction of the Berlin Wall
In the post-world war era, the Berlin Wall would separate Germany for nearly 30 years. Berlin, at the time, was divided ideologically and physically. This concrete barrier’s official purpose was to keep Western “fascists” out of Socialist Germany. Spanning almost 27 miles long and heavily guarded with 55,000 landmines and barbed wire, the Berlin Wall ultimately became an ugly remnant of the Cold War. The wall began construction in 1961 and was torn down back in 1989 after a series of protests.