Berlin Wall, thoughts (2018; 2024)
When it went up, it divided the populace quicker than one might think.
I visited Berlin in 2018 on and had the opportunity to spend a day on my own walking around.
At the Berlin Wall historic area the thing that struck me the most was how fast it happened.
One morning they woke up and a concertina wire fence was laid across the road dividing east and west, with armed guards standing watch.
Some people jumped the wire to get back with their families. Some didn’t make it.
Many didn’t do anything because they thought it would simmer down and the wire and guards would go away.
We all know though that the Wall went up; the lesson I took from it is that it happened FAST.
I always imagined the Berlin Wall as some big construction project. It was, but they were able to divide the city beforehand.