This is a piece of the Berlin Wall, I took this photo during a visit to the Ripley's Museum in Mexico City. It caught my attention that this piece of stone and cement represented for 28 years the hatred and sadness between the same nation.
Background
At the end of World War II, after the division of Germany, Berlin was also divided into four sectors of occupation: Soviet, American, French and English. The bad relations between the communists and the allies grew until they reached the point where two coins emerged, two political ideals and, finally, two Germanies.
In 1949, the three western sectors (American, French and British) were renamed the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the Eastern (Soviet) sector became the German Democratic Republic (GDR).
Construction of the wall
The battered Soviet economy and the flourishing West Berlin made until 1961 almost 3 million people leave behind East Germany to enter capitalism.
The RDA began to realize the loss of population that suffered (especially of high profiles) and, on the night of August 12, 1961, decided to build a provisional wall and close 69 checkpoints, leaving only 12 open.
The next morning, a 155-kilometer provisional wire fence separating the two parts of Berlin had been placed. The means of transport were interrupted and none could cross from one part to another.
During the following days, the construction of a brick wall began and the people whose houses were on the construction line were evicted.
Over the years, there were many attempts to escape, some successfully, so that the wall was expanded to unsuspected limits to increase their safety.
The Berlin Wall eventually became a concrete wall between 3.5 and 4 meters high, with an interior formed by steel cables to increase its strength. At the top they placed a hemispherical surface so that no one could hold on to it.
Accompanying the wall, the so-called "fringe of death" was created, consisting of a moat, a fence, a road through which military vehicles, alarm systems, automatic weapons, watchtowers and patrols accompanied by dogs were constantly circulating. hours of the day. Trying to escape was similar to playing Russian roulette with the tank loaded with bullets. Even so, there were many who tried.
The fall of the wall
The fall of the wall was motivated by the opening of borders between Austria and Hungary in May 1989, as more and more Germans traveled to Hungary to seek asylum in the different embassies of the Federal Republic of Germany. This fact, motivated enormous demonstrations in Alexanderplatz that took to that, the 9 of November of 1989 the government of the GDR affirmed that the step towards the west was allowed.
That same day, thousands of people crowded at the checkpoints to cross to the other side and nobody could stop them, so there was a mass exodus.
The next day, the first gaps in the wall opened and the countdown began for the end of his days.
Once released, families and friends were able to meet again after 28 years of forced separation.
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