Construction of the Wall- 1961
A physical wall was built between East and West Berlin on August 13, 1961 upsetting families and friends. In between East and West Berlin was No Man's Land, which was where all the trenches were located after the Cold War. All the watchtowers, anti-vehicle trenches, barriers, obstacles, barbed wire fences and dog runs were in No Man's Land. Any buildings in the way of the wall were destroyed so there was room for constructing the Berlin Wall. When the wall was built, it took away the rights of the people and added more responsibilities to the soldiers and guards. The wall had gone up overnight on August 12, 1961, and surprised families the next morning. Soldiers were told to shoot any person caught trying to escape East Berlin on sight, whether it was a stranger, relative or friend. (Langerbein, "Great Blunders?: The Great Wall of China, the Berlin Wall, and the Proposed United States/Mexico Border Fence," 18)