In August 1961 construction East Germany began construction on the Berlin Wall  in order to completely cut itself off from West Germany.   East Germany was firmly entrenched in becoming a socialist/fascist state, and threatened by the freedom offered on the other side. The barrier they built included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, and it included anti-vehicle trenches and defenses meant to keep people from defecting from the communist side to the democratic side.  In the post-World War II period from 1961 to 1990, over 5,000 Continue Reading