The Berlin Wall was a barrier that divided East Berlin and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989. It was built by the government of East Germany to prevent people from fleeing to the more prosperous West Germany. The wall symbolized the division between the communist East and the democratic West during the Cold War. The wall was made of concrete and barbed wire, stretching over 96 miles. It was heavily guarded, and many people lost their lives trying to cross it. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 marked the beginning of the end for communist rule in Eastern Europe and led to the reunification of Germany.