The Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961 to provide a physical barrier between East and West Berlin. The city had been divided into a Soviet occupational zone and a joint U.S., France, and Great Britain occupational zone after World War II, with each zone being governed by the country(ies) controlling it. The German Democratic Republic (GDR), although under communist rule, was the official name of the Soviet controlled East German State, of which East Berlin was the capital. West Germany was known as the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). Because Berlin lay 110 miles inside the GDR, and because many East Germans fled to the west by means of West Berlin, the 103 mile long, 12 foot- high Berlin Wall was built, completely surrounding the Western part of the city.

In the 12 years between the establishment of East Germany in 1949 and the construction of the wall, over 2.7 million East Germans fled to West Berlin. This shift in population severely depleted the work force and caused other economic problems in East Germany, so the Soviet Union took drastic measures, including the Berlin Wall, to prevent further defection. After the wall was built, more than 80 people were shot or otherwise murdered in attempts to emigrate to West Berlin, and countless numbers were imprisoned. There were only two openings in the wall, both of which were heavily guarded, fortified checkpoints. For more than 28 years the wall was a major symbol of both the Cold War and the oppressive Soviet regime, but it became obsolete in 1989 when Hungary opened its borders to East Germans. With Hungary open, emigrants could pass through to West Germany with little difficulty. In a desperate last attempt to restore stability, the East German leader Egon Krenz decided to grant passage through the Berlin Wall itself. On November 9, 1989, East Germans poured into West Germany, partially destroying the wall on the way, while communist officials watched their regime crumble. In West Germany, the immigrants were welcomed with a gift of 100 marks ($50), as their East German money had become worthless. East and West Germany then worked together to remove the wall and reunite themselves as the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990.