Erected by the German Democratic Republic in 1961, the Berlin Wall was a wall that divided the capitals of East and West Germany; East Berlin from West Berlin. East Germany was controlled by the Communist party with ties to the Soviet Union, while West Germany was under the Western Allies. Over two million East Germans had escaped to the West between 1949 and 1961. Hence, the wall was built by the eastern bloc to restrict movement of people between the two and came to symbolise the ‘Iron Curtain’ that separated the Eastern bloc from Western Europe during the Cold War.

Thousands of people continued to make attempts at escaping through inventive methods such as tunnels, which has been extensively archived in media. The eventual dismantling of the wall in 1989 led to the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and hence, the dominance of communism in Europe. The watershed moment has had a long lasting impact on the socio-political and cultural identity of Europe. On the 32nd anniversary of its fall, we have curated an essential reading and viewing guide for you to understand the history of this ground-breaking moment.