The Berlin Wall was a structure that once surrounded part of the city of Berlin, Germany.
It stood for almost 30 years as a symbol of the Cold War.
The Soviet Union established a harsh government in East Germany. Many people wanted to leave.
In the years between 1949 and 1961, about 2.5 million East Germans fled to West Germany.
The East German government tried to stop people from leaving by building the Berlin Wall.
On the night of August 12–13, 1961, the East Germans built a barrier of barbed wire and cinder blocks.
Soldiers and mines guarded the wall on the East German side. Some people escaped, and some people were captured and killed.
The wall stood until 1989. In that year the East German government was forced out of power.
On November 9, officials opened the country’s borders with West Germany.
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