The Wall

From 1961, the Berlin Wall not only separated East and West, but also families, friends and lovers. Even if for many West Germans the wall was just an inconvenience that made people indignant - for East Germans it meant the end of the world. It was a prison and every attempt to break out was life-threatening. Nonetheless, countless people dared to flee to freedom, and many paid with their lives for it. To mark the 50th anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall, the 'Great Saturday Documentation' reconstructs the events that led to the division of Germany into East and West. The USA and the Soviet Union had fought together against Hitler. But shortly after the end of the war, extreme differences became apparent. They eventually led to a rift between the Allies. A competition of systems began. It was still completely open after the war that Germany now naturally belongs to the western-oriented and democratic confederation of states.