Notes on the German Democratic Republic:

"GDR"

AFter WWII, Germany was split essentially into four districts: U.S.A., French, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union.  The districts of the US, Great Britain, and France combined to become West Germany, leaving the east to the Soviet Union.  This East Germany was its own Communist Country known as the German Democratic Republic.  

When Germany was split, Communist Soviet Union believed they had to protect their people from western influences.  They told the people of East Berlin that the west was filled with Fascist ideals.  In order to "protect" their people, they constructed the Berlin Wall in 1961.  The wall was apart of the "Iron Curtain" that divided the entire continent of Europe into two parts.  The wall cut through the heart of Berlin.

Throughout Germany history, Berlin has been a significant city.  The GDR decided they needed to protect their own citizens with a physical wall.  So on a quite Sunday night, the government built a barrier around the "Fascist" sections of Berlin.  The entire city was separated.  People couldn't get to work, see their familie.  One interesting story was that a man bought a new "flat" over the weekend in West Berlin while living in East Berlin.  He planned to move into his new flat the following Monday.  When he woke up and saw the barrier, he couldn't pass to move into his new home.

We can't help but see a connection here to someplace quite a bit closer to home, the US-Mexico boarder.  

- Jacob/Hannah