After World War II Germany and its capital Berlin were split up. The Americans, British and the French occupied West Germany and The Soviet Union occupied the East. There was a class difference between the two nations. East Germans suffered from poor housing, food shortages and low wages. This was the primary reason for many Easterners to defect to the West. They did this through West Berlin. Berlin was located in East Germany, but West Berlin was part of West Germany. The communist regime soon became aware of this loophole. The Berlin Wall was erected to put a halt to the exodus.
On August 13, 1961, the Communist government closed the border to West Berlin with barb wire and provisional barriers. Over the years the Wall developed into a multi-layered border installation with bunkers, 300 watch towers, check points and minefields. Also the Wall was patrolled by hundreds of armed police guards with dogs. The police guards were given orders to shoot to kill anyone, including women and children, who were trying to escape to the West. Many people died or were killed trying to cross the Wall.
Citizens of both nations used to travel freely to both ends. Easterners were working in the capitalist West were they earned more money and Westerners who had money to spend would spend their money in the communist East were goods and services were much cheaper. With the construction of the wall the communist government effectively shut off East Germany from the West. Relatives and friends were disconnected over night. People who found their selves on the wrong side of the Berlin Wall had to wait for 28 years before they could return home. After public unrest and mass demonstrations broke out, the isolated regime reckoned the power of the people. The Wall came down on November 9, 1989, 20 years ago.
Today there are still Berlin Walls around the world. The question I put before you is what are we going to do about it? Are we going to stand by and do nothing, or are we going to demand profound changes that will bring the world together? I hope we will make the right choice, I know we will make the right choice because we are good at heart.