University of Arizona

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Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall

Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall

This week marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.  After World War II Berlin, Germany was divided into sectors leaving East Berlin under the control of the USSR.  It is estimated that 2.5 million East Germans, unhappy living under communist rule, fled into West Germany between 1949 and 1961. By August 15, 1961, construction of a concrete wall began. By the 1980s the wall and a system of electric fences ran 18 miles through Berlin and 75 miles around West Berlin sealing it off from the rest of East Germany.  Graffiti art containing political messages could be seen along the west side of the wall.  The wall became increasingly fortified with machine guns, mines, and barbed wire.  Thousands of East Germans attempted to cross the wall with over 100 people killed.  As the communist regime began to decline, East German borders were opened on November 9, 1989.  Crowds of demonstrators began to tear down the wall and by 1990 East and West Germany were reunited.  Pieces of the Wall were taken by many and displayed around the world.  Special Collections has two archival collections that include pieces of the Berlin Wall.

Up with People, a global education organization aiming to bring the world together through service and music, was in Germany when the Berlin Wall fell.  A piece of the Berlin Wall from the Up with People Archive (MS 491) is on exhibit in the Special Collections gallery along with many other photographs, publications and audio-visual materials that document the many places an Up with People cast has performed.  To see more from the Up with People Archive also visit the Up with People Archive digital collection.

Former Arizona Senator Dennis DeConcini served on the Commission on Security and Cooperation, also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, in Europe during the Communist collapse.  Two pieces of the Berlin wall are included in the Dennis DeConcini Papers (MS 399).

-Anne Spire and Lisa Duncan

Piece of the Berlin Wall