AfterGermany lost the Second World War in 1945, the four allies, France, USA, GreatBritain and the Soviet Union agreed to divide Germany into each sector. Butsoon there arose disputes between the allies, because the Soviet Union wasdictated by Joseph Stalin together with the Communist Party. The conflictbetween the Soviet Union and the three allies became more and more critical. Itwas formed a new German government, but only for the part of Germany thatbelonged to France, Britain and the United States. InJune 1948 the part of Germany created a new currency, which was called DeutscheMark. Soviet Union reacted strongly to the introduction of the new currency,and threatened to close all roads into West Berlin, so that Western Berlinwould be a small island with the communist East -Germany.
Berlin, which stillsuffered major damage of the bombing they had been through World War II, didnot have opportunities to obtain food or other life-sustaining products and 2.5millinoner belinere would suffer famine of such a blockade. Still, the SovietUnion seriously by their threats. In response to the Soviet blockade of roadscreated Americans and British a “Luftbrücke” airlift to Berlin. Thatmeant every minute the American andBritish planes arrived at the airport Tempelhof in the middle of Berlin withfood and medicine for Berliners.
This method made it hard for the soviet unionand they realized it wasn’t worth trying to make a food blockade. InMay 1949 the Soviet Union admitted the defeat and lifted the blockade. Nonetheless,The feeling was not particularly better. Every month, there were thousands ofpeople who escaped from East to West Berlin. Soviet Union tried to stop the hordeof people crossing the border every month, but without success. The tensionincreased and the situation started and converted into crisis. Soviet Unionfelt threatened and had publicly said that they would soon stop the stream ofpeople from east to west.
Thenight on the 12th to the 13th of August the Soviet Union really started to stopflow of people. Suddenly barbed wire rolled out and soldiers with guns werelocated along the border of the Soviet sector of Berlin. Mines were set up. itbecamedangerous and strict boyfriend’s forbidden and cross the border in theWest -Berlin. People were uncertain about what was going on and did not knowthat this was the beginning of a 2.
4 m high wall right through Berlin. Log into see the picture Map of Berlin with the wall. The East German government wasnot honest, it foklarte that the wall would prevent western agents and spies toget across the border.
It was also said that the West had persuaded and forcedmen creases in the east to immigrate to West Berlin. From one day to anotherwas a city divided by a wall. Many people plan to escape from East -Berlin thissummer, was crushed. The first days occurred panik Mood and people weredesperately trying to get across to the west. People threw themselves out ofwindows in houses that stood on the border to West Berlin and tried to swimacross the channel to the western part.
Families were suddenly separated onlybecause they lived on two different sides of Berlin. As the years went by Eastand West Berliners beca,e more and more used to to living with a border thatdivided the city into two.
