It sprung up overnight in August, 1961--a makeshift blockade separating repressive, Soviet-controlled East Berlin from the Allied-run democracy to the west. Soon the barrier encircled all of West Berlin, sealing its two million citizens off from the rest of the world. As escape attempts escalated, deadlier obstacles were added. Eventually, a 97-mile barrier, virtually impenetrable, snaked along the border between East and West Berlin. And 28 years later, it came down as unexpectedly as it went up. Observe the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall (November 9, 2009) with a dramatic look at how a line of railway cars and barbed wire evolved into the massively fortified fortress that came to symbolize the Cold War. Computer-generated imagery, re-enactments, archival footage, and expert commentary provide political and historical context while helping to illustrate how construction progressed over time--and how it was suddenly demolished by civilians in 1989.Comment: I watched this exhilarating and moving documentary last night and highly recommend it. Learn the story of those who died trying to escape from eastern Germany and those who succeeded. By tunneling, by hot air balloon, and super light aircraft they escaped as the Communist government of East Germany build a more and more elaborate wall to keep people from fleeing. This program will be shown again Friday, November 13 08:00 AM and Friday, November 13 02:00 PM. Don't miss it.
Rating: TVPG
Running Time: 120 minutes
Many on the left still admire Communism. Many romanticize the Communist era and see Communist as advocates of social justice and they ignore the horror that was totalitarian Communism. Many young people may know very little about the era and what was at stake in the battle between freedom and Communism. This program needs to be seen by those who are too young to remember and those who may forget what the cold war was all about.
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