Why did the Soviet Union want to build the Berlin Wall?

Question

I understand that it was the Cold War, and the Soviet Union took over and occupied East Berlin. Yet, why did they specifically want to build a wall around half of the city? Was it because they wanted to spread communism in their part of the city, without West Berlin interfering?

Answer 1

It was more than all the answers given. It was a result of a series of events to which I will try to simply narrate.

1945, After WW2, Berlin was divided into 4 sectors, The American, British, French (all 3 in the West) and the Soviets on the East of Germany.

Maybe about a year later, the Soviet Military Administration announced that they were creating this demarcation line to "safeguard" both the East and West. Citizens and Personnel who wanted to go from East to West or vice versa needed and interzonepass which was valid for 30 days.

Two years later, The US instituted a currency reform policy which proved to be a divisive factor for the East and the West, since the East was understandably communist. There are several rhetorics from both sides. As tensions were mounting on both sides by way of economies, hardest hit was obviously felt in the East. Soon the Berlin Blockade, the first crisis of the new Cold war (which was a Soviet reprisal over the currency reform) heightened those tensions evermore.

The Berlin Blockade was where the Soviets impeded access in the East to the 3 Western Powers' transit points (railroad, water & street) leading into West Berlin. This access which was deep within the Soviet zone and never made it to table top discussion about which belonged to which and which was legally for "common" usage. This meant that the West's supplies would be cut off and how to get those goods through was the dilemna. Not wanting to engage in another war over the right of passage which was vehemently rejected during a conference following the blockade. The Berlin airlift on the 25th of June, 1948 was an ingenious brainstorming result concocted by General Curtis Le May. ( I actually loved this part because it sounds so dramatic at the same time daring). A month's worth of supplies for consumption and others were dropped from planes to airports in the West thus bypassing the blockade.

We have this saying which I love, "Diplomacy is like saying 'Nice Doggie' until you can find a rock". Since the Soviet's method of easing the 3 powers from West Germany, they soon ended the blockade. Soon after, the Federal Republic of Germany was founded. The airlift operated for about a year and still months after the lifting of the blockade. Following suit was the establishment of the GDC or the German Democratic Republic on the East..

Three years later in 1952, the border between East & West Germany along with East Germany & West Berlin were closed. One border remained open, the East and West Berlin border.

Conditions in the East were deteriorating owing to uprisings by workers on implementation of increased working outputs and the obvious presence of the military, aside from that, dissatisfaction was growing as the East Berliners saw how life was in the West.

In 1953, The Western Powers waive the Interzonenpass, the Soviet Union follows suit but stated that any East German who wanted to travel to the West should secure permission and leaving East Germany without permission was forbidden and violators were prosecuted and sentenced to up to three years in prison.

The GDR, realizing that an enmasse emigration was imminent, on August 13, 1961, closed the last open border (East and West Berlin) was closed and the Berlin wall erection commenced.

It was a wall that would divide the East from the West for 28 years and was the most moving icon that symblozied the Cold War.

Answer 2

Too many Berliners who had been visiting their relatives on the other side of the city were fleeing the "workers' paradise" and staying in West Berlin or hopping flights to West Germany.

Answer 3

East Berliners were going over to the western side in droves. It was built to keep them in.

Answer 4

You mean the "anti-fascist protection barrier"? It was built because of the brain drain that was occurring as educated eastern workers went to the west.

Answer 5

To keep its own people from fleeing the Country- & embarrassing the Communist Government.

Answer 6

to stop immagraters to keep going over there i think if i remember from the 8th grade