Page 31 - All About History - Issue 19-14

Eye Witness

FALL OF THE BERLIN WALL

Where it
happened

Imposing structure
Built on 31 August 1961, the wall
dividing West and East Germany,
surrounding West Berlin, was
155km(96mi)longwith an
French sector averageheightof3.6m (12ft).

Berlin (West) Berlin (OST)
Brandenburg Gate
Breaking through
Once thegovernmenthad Well guarded
broadcast the edict that all East Checkpoint Charlie The structure had a total of
Berlinerscouldtravelfreelyinto English sector 302 watchtowers, alongside
West Germany, large crowds aseriesofsixcheckpoints,
passed overwithlittleorno Checkpoint Charlie being the
identity checks. most famous.
American sector
Russian sector

A city divided
West Berlin was divided into
three separate sectors, with
the United States, the United
Kingdom and France sharing
administrative responsibilities
between them.

“ From the edge of the Wall we watched

everything, and when the East Germans
began to tear down the wall, we joined them”

into the other side of the city while others started withhammers,buttoopenthewallsolargenumbers
attacking the wall with any tool they could find. The of people could pass, industrial machinery was needed.
military looked on dumbfounded. Some of them even Somehow, West German construction companies
joinedinthedemolitionjob.“Itwasclearthatboth showed up with jackhammers and cranes which broke
governments, East and West German, plus the US apart the slabs and lifted them out of the way.” Origins and
military, had lost control”, comments Ramos. “They In the months that followed, Germany was unified aftermath
stood by helplessly, watching everyone bustle around. as a single, free nation for the first time since the final
ItalkedwithEastGermansoldierswhotoldmetheir shots of the Second World War and Europe – and the FollowingtheendofWorldWarIIin1945,
rifles were empty. No bullets. They looked forward to world – was changed forever. Germany would go on Germany was split into four distinct zones,
comingacrosstheborder.WestGermanpolice,whoare to become an economic superpower, but that chilly with each one administered by each of the
main Allied forces. Berlin itself was divided
always so orderly and authoritative, just watched. They evening in Berlin has remained an iconic image of in two, with West Berlin existing as a free
didn’tknowwhattodo;thishadneverbeenplanned.” social and political upheaval. “It was one of the most cityandEastBerlinabsorbedintothe
He adds, “many of us pushed through the wall and went astonishingeventsofmylife.Itwas25yearsagoandI increasing Soviet grip on Eastern Europe.
totheEastBerlinside.Itwasmutual:WestGermans still remember so many moments, especially the mood”, In 1961, the semi-autonomous communist
andEastGermanstoredownthewalltogethertounite recalls Ramos on that historic day. “The fall of the Berlin government the German Democratic
Republic – under direction from the
themselves once more.” WallendedachapterofEuropeanhistoryreachingback Kremlin – decreed that a new wall would be
Breakingdownthewallitselfwasnoeasytask,butit more than a hundred years. However, it also opened
erectedtophysicallydividethecityintwo,
becameacatharticcomingtogetherofanationsuddenly anewchapter,andsofar,wedon’tyetknowwhatit’s effectively cutting East Berliners off from
reunited in matter of hours. Citizens from East and West goingtobeorwhereit’sgoingtolead.” therestoftheWesternworld.For28years,
gathered on each side to start hacking away, pulling theBerlinWallsignifiedacityevolvingin
away chunks and lofting them on high, like mementos Have you witnessed a two very different directions. When the first
fromafundayout.Ramoshimselfwasrightinthe landmark event in history? East Berlin citizens passed the guard patrols
into the free West Berlin, it was the start
middleofthecrowdstearingintothewallthatevening. of the breaking up of the Eastern Bloc and
“OpeningtheWallwentonforhours”,heremarks.“It Tellusaboutitat… the first steps toward a unified Germany
wasmadeofthickslabsofconcrete,nineortwelve that would see it become one of the most
feet (three or four metres) high. Small holes were made allabouthistory@imagine-publishing.co.uk robust economic powers in Europe. ©Alamy

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