Berlin Wall

This passage discusses the creation and destruction of the Berlin Wall in Germany.

Lexile Level: 830L

Categories: History People & Places

The Berlin Wall was built in 1961. It was built to separate communist East Germany from West Berlin. Germany had been divided in the aftermath of World War II. The East Germans and the Soviets built the wall to prevent their people from working in West Berlin and from defecting to the West. It was an attempt to help the economy of East Germany, but it became a symbol of Soviet tyranny. It started out as a wire fence. As time passed, it became a concrete wall with an elaborate security system. People were shot when they attempted to cross the Berlin Wall. It was finally dismantled in 1989. The Soviet Union was in decline, and there were mass demonstrations in East Germany. Finally, the East German government announced that border crossings would be permitted. East Germans and West Germans met at the Wall and then spent weeks destroying it. Finally, East and West Germany were reunited in 1990.