Berlin Wall

Berlin Wall

1. WHAT was it?

   • After WWII, Berlin split into 4 zones
     • constructed to seal East Berlin from the West
   • constructed 13th August 1961
   • all crossing points sealed except one (Checkpoint Charlie)
   • aim to prevent ppl moving from East to West

2. WHY were ppl leaving East Berlin and the consequences

   • Socially
     • those who left were young and educated
     • communist party in E.Germany feared a 'brain drain'
   • Economically
     • E.Germany lost many skilled workers
     • 1960, 61% of population was of working age. 70% b4 the war
     • engineers, technicians, teachers, lawyers etc all left
   • Politically
     • mass numbers leaving made communist regime seem unpopular
     • considered -ve propaganda as they competed with capitalist West
   • Quality of life in the West was better//Suffered a communist system under after establishment of Soviet Union control

3. WHAT were the IMMEDIATE consequences

   • Flow of people from East to West stopped
   • Berlin became a focus of the Cold War