Page 100 - A History of the World in 25 Cities

Life in NuMbers
In
Number of people who tried to escape across the Berlin Wall (1961 to 1989):
Berlin was a unique city, with control split between the Allies in the West and the Soviets in the East. It became an important border in the long rivalty between the West and the Soviet Union, known as the Cold War. Because of this, Berlin has been used as the backdrop for many thrilling spy stories in books, films and on TV.
People found many ingenious and not so ingenious ways to try and get over the Wall
to freedom. In the early days, some people jumped from buildings next to the Wall to get
over it, some dug long tunnels underneath it and a few even slid
along wires from one side to the other. One enterprising individual, Wolfgang Engels, stole an armoured personnel
carrier and tried to drive it through the Wall. His vehicle crashed but even though he was shot
by East German border guards, he survived and started a new life in West Germany.
Number of people who actually escaped:
8 OOO
Population of Berlin in 1964:
32
People in East Berlin lived in fear of the Stasi, the East German secret police. It was
the Stasi’s job to ensure that the citizens of East Germany (including East Berlin) remained loyal to the state. The Stasi were based in the
huge Ministry for State Security in East Berlin. They went to great lengths to spy on their own population, looking for people
about to ‘defect’ and leave East Germany. Phone calls were recorded, homes were bugged with listening devices and secret spy
cameras were used to find out what people were up to. Many people were informants for the Stasi, and some were even paid to give
Population of Berlin today:
36
information on their fellow citizens.
1OO OOO