Walter Ulbricht,
former head of State
and Communist Party
in East Germany
(June 15th, 1961)

Only two months later, on August 13th, 1961, the same man orders that a wall be built in the heart of Berlin, dividing East and West Berlin.

 

Erich Mielke,
Chief of the East German Ministry for Security
during a major official conference
(April 28th, 1989)

More than 5000 escape attempts resulted in 239 death. The first victim, Rudolf Urban, dies only 6 days after the raising of the Wall.
The last person to die, Chris Gueffroy - is killed only half a year before the Fall of the Wall on February 5th, 1989.

Günter Schabowski,
Member of the Politbuero of the Communist Party
(November 9th, 1989)

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