On August 13, 1961, the construction of the Berlin Wall begins. The division of Germany into East and West, into the GDR and the Federal Republic, is literally cemented. Recap: After the Second World War, the victorious Allied powers divide the defeated Germany into four occupation zones. But two opposing blocs soon form around the superpowers USA and the Soviet Union: the "free West" and the communist "Eastern Bloc". The former allies become enemies, the "Cold War" begins. And its front runs directly through Germany. West and East introduce different political systems in their occupation zones, and in 1949 two separate German states emerge: the "Federal Republic of Germany" in the West and the "German Democratic Republic," or GDR for short, in the East. The division of Germany lasts for over 40 years. On June 17, 1953, a popular uprising breaks out in the GDR. Around a million people protest largely peacefully against the political and economic conditions. But the uprising is crushed with the help of Soviet tanks. Many want to leave the country, but the inner-German border is now heavily fortified. Soon only the crossing in divided Berlin is open. In 1961, more than 1,000 people a day flee to West Berlin. The GDR government sees its socialist state bleeding to death. On August 13, it therefore has a wall built across the city. An insurmountable, heavily guarded "border fortification system" now stretches around the entire GDR to keep citizens in the country. Attempts to escape often end in prison, sometimes even in death. Willy Brandt, Chancellor of the Federal Republic since 1969, tries to talk to the socialist regime. He arranges for people to leave the country so that families can visit each other. The two states come closer together. Nevertheless, the division of East and West remains a reality for a long time. It was only when the Soviet head of state Mikhail Gorbachev initiated reforms in the "Eastern Bloc" at the end of the 1980s that more and more people in the GDR took to the streets to force a "change" in the political situation. This time, no tanks intervened. On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall fell. Almost eleven months after the fall of the Wall, the two German states were reunited, and October 3, 1990 became "German Unity Day". In this video, Mirko traces the path from the division after the Second World War to the reunification in 1990. This video is part of the Terra X focus on the 60th anniversary of the building of the Wall in the ZDFmediathek: https://www.zdf.de/dokumentation/terr... The Wall: • The Berlin Wall: How it worked... Botched reunification: • Botched reunification - botched... More to read: https://www.bpb.de/geschichte/deutsch... https://www.bpb.de/geschichte/deutsch... Further links: Feel free to visit Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrwissen2go... We belong to #terraX and #funk Be sure to check it out: Terra X: https://terra-x.zdf.de/#xtor=CS3-158 Terra X on YouTube: / @terraxhistory funk: https://www.funk.net/ funk on Youtube: / funkofficial Web-App: https://go.funk.net A production of objektiv media GmbH for Terra X and funk: Moderation: Mirko Drotschmann Author: Matthias Schöberl Producer: Daniela Ssymank Editor (OM): Inga Haupt Postproduction: Motion Design: Rainer Düring Editing: Christian Wischnewski ZDF: Kai Jostmeier, Johanna Kaack