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Why Did the Berlin Wall Fall
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4 lessons · Novice
About this study
“Why Did the Berlin Wall Fall” is a free, 4-lesson study at novice, created with soclever, a personal AI teacher. Each lesson takes a few minutes and ends with a check-in question; finish the curriculum and you can take a certificate test to earn a diploma. Starting is free once you sign in — or generate your own study on any topic.
What you'll learn
- Why Berlin Was Divided. In May 1945, when Nazi Germany surrendered, Berlin lay in ruins. The Soviet Army had fought from the east; the Americans and British from the west. Both sides had lost hundreds of…
- Why the Wall Went Up. By 1961, East Germany was bleeding people. Families packed suitcases and walked across the border into West Berlin, then flew out to freedom in the West. Factory workers.…
- Why the Wall Stood for 28 Years. Most people think the Berlin Wall fell because it was unpopular or because the people behind it suddenly changed their minds. That's wrong. The Wall stood for nearly three decades…
- Why the Wall Finally Fell. By 1989, two contradictory forces were colliding in Berlin and across Eastern Europe. On one side: the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev had begun loosening its grip. Gorbachev…
Questions this study answers
- Why did the Soviet Union and Western Allies divide Berlin into separate occupation zones instead of governing it together?
- Why did the Soviet bloc decide to build a physical wall instead of trying to improve life in East Germany to keep people from leaving?
- Why did the Soviet Union build the Wall in 1961, and what made it effective at solving their problem?
- Why couldn't the East German government stop people from leaving the country in 1989?
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