The Wall (1962) / Berlin Wall Documentary Film Video

The Wall (1962) / Berlin Wall Documentary Film Video. Creative Commons license: Public Domain. Government film about the erection of the Berlin Wall. From the holdings of the National Archives.Sponsor: United States Information Agency. The Berlin Wall (German: Berliner Mauer) was a physical barrier separating West Berlin from the German Democratic Republic (GDR) (East Germany), including East Berlin. The longer inner German border demarcated the border between East and West Germany. Both borders came to symbolize the Iron Curtain between Western and Eastern Europe and, ultimately, between USA and the Soviet Union. The wall separated East Germany from West Germany for more than a quarter-century, from the day construction began on August 13, 1961 until the Wall was opened on November 9, 1989. During this period, at least 136 people were confirmed killed trying to cross the Wall into West Berlin, according to official figures. However, a prominent victims' group claims that more than 200 people were killed trying to flee from East to West Berlin. The East German government issued shooting orders to border guards dealing with defectors; such orders are not the same as shoot to kill orders which GDR officials denied ever issuing. When the East German government announced on November 9, 1989, after several weeks of civil unrest, that all GDR citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin, crowds of East Germans climbed onto and crossed the wall, joined by West Germans on the other side in a celebratory atmosphere. Over the next few weeks, parts of the wall were chipped away by a euphoric public and by souvenir hunters; industrial equipment was later used to remove almost all of the rest of it. The fall of the Berlin Wall paved the way for German reunification, which was formally concluded on October 3, 1990. On Saturday, 12 August 1961, the leaders of the GDR attended a garden party at a government guesthouse in Döllnsee, in a wooded area to the north of East Berlin, at which time Ulbricht signed the order to close the border and erect a wall. At midnight, the police and units of the East German army began to close the border and by Sunday morning, 13 August 1961, the border with West Berlin was closed. East German troops and workers had begun to tear up streets running alongside the border to make them impassable to most vehicles, and to install barbed wire entanglements and fences along the 156 km (97 miles) around the three western sectors and the 43 km (27 miles) which actually divided West and East Berlin. The Soviets were not directly involved. The barrier was built slightly inside East Berlin or East German territory to ensure that it did not encroach on West Berlin at any point, and was later built up into the Wall proper, the first concrete elements and large blocks being put in place on August 15. During the construction of the Wall, NVA and KdA soldiers stood in front of it with orders to shoot anyone who attempted to defect. Additionally, chain fences, walls, minefields, and other obstacles were installed along the length of the inner-German border between East and West Germany. Due to the closure of the East-West sector boundary in Berlin, the vast majority of East Germans could no longer travel or emigrate to West Germany. Many families were split, while East Berliners employed in the West were cut off from their jobs; West Berlin became an isolated enclave in a hostile land. West Berliners demonstrated against the wall, led by their Chancellor Willy Brandt, who strongly criticized the United States for failing to respond. Allied intelligence agencies had hypothesized about a wall to stop the flood of refugees, but the main candidate for its location was around the perimeter of the city.

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[Abonanno24601]

good video!  Thanks,

[rosaryfilms]

@Abonanno24601 - thank you for watching!

[mnicolaidou]

Thanks for this video! It's so nice to see how things were at Berlin back then at those difficult times.!

[rosaryfilms]

@mnicolaidou - you are very welcome!

[superdashtiger]

thank you so much for the video if i hadent find the video then i would have never finished my homework

[rosaryfilms]

@superdashtiger - you are very welcome!

[netko10ti]

@sss7773

Do your history lessons. Serbia killed Austrian heir presumptive which triggered WWI. Germany was Austrian ally and things escalated. And, there wasn't Yugoslavia until after the end of WWI.

WWII officially started with German attacking Poland. Yugoslavia was invaded after 2 years, because Hitler afraid that it wont uphold (here's interesting part) Tripartite Pact it signed after coup (making them German's allies).

[JustinoFundido]

Let's build a wall to keep the Mexicans out...Sure that's what we need. It would never be used in reverse, oh no...

[ewood033]

thank you so much I definitly needed this video.

[CatchingBKaulitz]

i will be honest..at one point..i nearly cried during this video

[fakemadereal]

@everusD Your a racist little bastard, aren't you.

[sss7773]

Germans have attacked Yugoslavia and have untied the First World War

Germans have attacked Yugoslavia and have untied the Second World War

Russia has disengaged armies from Germany.

That Germans have made are have attacked Yugoslavia

Germans always remains the nation of aggressors

[Eaglemerica]

DEUTSCHLAND BRAUCHT HILFE

[lester5192]

Walls are needed to keep violent poor thieves out of people who cares way.

[everusD]

LOS GRINGOS KIEREN MURO, NO KIEREN PERDER LO KE SE ROBARON DE MEXICO. SALUDOS A LOS MAS CINICOS RATEROS BUSKAPLEITOS EN TODA LA HISTORIA.

[lolita19711]

stupid russians