On this day in 1961,

SOVIET UNION BEGINS CONTRUCTION OF BERLIN WALL

On this day in 1961, East German soldiers began laying down 100 miles of barbed wire to keep East Germans from leaving for the West.  Following Russia’s unsuccessful blockade of Berlin, between 2.5 million and 3 million East Germans left the country.  By 1961, about 1,000 East Germans a day were fleeing the country.

Within months, the barbed wire was converted to a six-foot-high, 96-mile-long wall of concrete blocks, complete with guard towers, machine gun posts and searchlights. 

Berliners were outraged and many, including Berlin mayor Willi Brandt, blamed the United States for allowing the wall to be built.

From 1961 to 1989, a total of 5,000 East Germans escaped.  About 1,000 died trying.  High profile shootings of some would-be defectors were seen on the evening news and intensified the Western world’s hatred of the Wall.

The Berlin Wall “fell” on November 9, 1989, following the disintegration of the Soviet Union.  On October 3, 1990, East Germany and West Germany agreed to combine into one country.