The Berlin Wall, a nearly 100-mile long barrier that cleaved the German capital city in half when it was constructed on Aug. 13, 1961, stood as a symbol of the Iron Curtain for nearly three decades before a series of events in Eastern Bloc countries led to its fall on Nov. 9, 1989. GW Today’s James Irwin sat down with Mary Beth Stein, associate professor of German and International Affairs and an expert on the Berlin Wall, to discuss the events that led to German reunification and the historical significance of the wall coming down.
