Piece of the Berlin Wall
Title
Piece of the Berlin Wall
Description
This is a piece of the Berlin Wall taken from the West German side in 1989. It serves as an important reminder of the political and physical power that separated families and kept people under an authoritarian government.
The Berlin Wall remains one of the most enduring symbols of the Cold War. Erected in 1961 by the German Democratic Republic (GDR), its official function was to keep Western "fascists" from undermining East Germany's socialist government, but in reality the wall was built to prevent massive immigration from East to West Berlin. The wall stood until November 9, 1989, when the head of the GDR announced citizens could move across the wall as they pleased. Thousands of citizens from East and West Germany gathered that night and immediately began tearing down the wall. Germany was officially reunited on October 3, 1990, for the first time since 1945. For many Germans, the Fall of the Berlin Wall marked the end of the war.
The Berlin Wall remains one of the most enduring symbols of the Cold War. Erected in 1961 by the German Democratic Republic (GDR), its official function was to keep Western "fascists" from undermining East Germany's socialist government, but in reality the wall was built to prevent massive immigration from East to West Berlin. The wall stood until November 9, 1989, when the head of the GDR announced citizens could move across the wall as they pleased. Thousands of citizens from East and West Germany gathered that night and immediately began tearing down the wall. Germany was officially reunited on October 3, 1990, for the first time since 1945. For many Germans, the Fall of the Berlin Wall marked the end of the war.
Creator
German Democratic Republic
Source
German Democratic Republic, "Berlin Wall," ca. 1961, Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany.
Date
1961-08-XX
Type
physical object
Embed
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Files
Collection
Citation
German Democratic Republic, “Piece of the Berlin Wall,” The State of History, accessed January 15, 2025, https://soh.omeka.chass.ncsu.edu/items/show/522.