1. The Potsdam Agreement (1945)
After the end of World War II, the victorious Allied powers (the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France) divided Germany into four occupation zones. The Soviet Union controlled the Eastern part of Germany, including East Berlin, while the Western Allies controlled the Western part, including West Berlin.
2. The German Democratic Republic (1949)
In 1949, the Soviet Union established a communist state in its occupied zone of Germany, known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) was established in the Western Allied zones.
3. The Berlin Blockade (1948-1949)
In an attempt to gain control of all of Berlin, the Soviet Union blockaded West Berlin from June 24, 1948, to May 12, 1949. The Western Allies responded with the Berlin Airlift, a massive effort to supply the city by air.
4. The Division of Berlin (1949)
As a result of the Berlin Blockade, the city was effectively divided into two separate entities: West Berlin, which was aligned with the Western Allies, and East Berlin, which was controlled by the Soviet Union.
5. The Exodus from East Germany
In the years following the division of Germany, a large number of people from East Germany fled to West Germany in search of freedom and economic opportunity. This exodus put a strain on the GDR and its relations with the Western Allies.
6. The Ulbricht Ultimatum (1958)
In November 1958, the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev issued an ultimatum to the Western Allies, demanding that they withdraw from West Berlin within six months and recognize East Germany as a sovereign state. The Allies rejected this ultimatum and vowed to defend West Berlin.
7. The Berlin Wall (1961)
In the early morning of August 13, 1961, the GDR began constructing a wall to seal off East Berlin from West Berlin. The wall was heavily guarded and became a symbol of the Cold War division between East and West.