The Wall and border fortifications alone were not enough to stop escapes. By the late 1980s, shortly before the Wall fell in 1989, almost all of the menacing obstacles between East and West Berlin had been removed from the border. They were less essential to stopping escapes now that the new Wall had a greater “blocking capability” and surveillance had improved in the rear border territory and throughout the entire GDR. These types of barriers were removed from the border strip by 1983. Hoping for international recognition, it no longer wanted the East German capital’s public image to be dictated by the menacing border fortifications with their metal gratings, bunkers and vehicle obstacles. In the late 1970s, the SED leadership rebuilt the border wall. The border soldiers were also expected to keep an eye on the West Berlin territory on the other side of the Wall. They were on the constant lookout for anyone trying to flee, ready to stop their escape at an early stage. Guards on the towers observed the border strip and the rear border territory. The watchtowers stood approximately 250 meters apart, providing border guards with a good view of their section of the border. Shadows were more visible against both walls, which were painted white on the sides facing inward. At night the border strip was lit brightly by a line of lamps, making it easier for border soldiers to see someone fleeing in the dark. In the 1970s, a second “inner wall” was added, blocking off the border strip to East Berlin and the GDR.ĭ og runs were also installed in some areas so that watchdogs could block the path and alert border soldiers of an approaching intruder. In the mid-1960s, the SED tore down several buildings to make room for a uniform border strip that provided border soldiers with an “unobstructed view and clear field of fire.” Over the following years this border strip was continually expanded and improved. After the border area was established behind the Wall on the East Berlin side in 1963, a fence was added to block off large parts of this area. In the beginning, when a successful escape occurred, border soldiers and pioneer units added temporary, individual barriers to a specific site behind the border wall. What began as a single wall evolved into a complex, multi-layered border installation designed to prevent escapes. This, in turn, led the SED to further expand the border fortifications. In fact, now that the Wall separated friends and family in Berlin, the pressure on East Berliners and people living on the outskirts of Berlin to flee was even greater. The efforts to perfect the border fortifications in Berlin continued until 1989.Įven after the Wall was built, the SED leadership was not able to completely stop the westward migration. But not even barbed wire and the Wall could stop people from fleeing. It also wanted to stabilize its power and document its sovereignty to the outside world. It hoped this measure would put an end to the mass exodus to Berlin. On August 13, 1961, the SED began to seal off the borders around West Berlin, first with barbed wire and a few days later with walls. But the sector borders in Berlin remained open, leading many to try to reach West Germany through this last opening. The SED had already closed off East Germany’s border with West Germany in 1952, making it increasingly dangerous to cross there. By August 1961, the GDR had lost a sixth of its population – at least four million people. People had different reasons – political, economic and personal – for wanting to leave. By the late 1940s, a mass migration to the West was underway. A large part of the East German population did not agree with the new political and economic system. After World War II ended in 1945, the SED, the state party of the GDR, established a dictatorship in East Germany with the support of the Soviet occupying power.
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