FOR069: The Berlin Wall and the Intra-German Border 1961-89

Author
Gordon L Rottman

Author
Chris Taylor

About this book
The border between East and West Germany was closed on 26 May 1953. On 13 August 1961 crude fences and walls were erected around West Berlin: the Berlin Wall had been created. The Wall encircled West Berlin for a distance of 155km, and its barriers and surveillance systems evolved over the years into an advanced obstacle network. The Intra-German Border ran from the Baltic Sea to the Czechoslovak border for 1,381km, and was where NATO forces faced the Warsaw Pact for the 45 years of the Cold War. This book examines the international situation that led to the establishment of the Berlin Wall and the IGB, and discusses how these barrier systems were operated, and finally fell.

Contents
Introduction · The origins of division · Chronology · The Intra-German Border · The Berlin Wall · Manning the Wall and the IGB · Testing the barriers · An assessment of the Wall and the IGB · The sites today · Further reading and research · Glossary and abbreviations · Index

Paperback; February 2008; 64 pages; ISBN: 9781846031939