Part 11/16:
Following the 1953 upheaval, Ulbricht’s government recognized the need to placate discontent, resulting in partial reforms. However, economic hardships persisted, and stricter policies on collectivization and industrialization continued unabated. The visible failures, alongside increased emigration—peaking in 1961 when thousands fled via the Berlin border—laid the groundwork for more drastic measures.
In response to escalating outmigration, East Germany erected the Berlin Wall in August 1961—an iconic symbol of repression and division—effectively sealing its borders and curbing mass defections to the West.