The Berlin Wall famously divided East and West Berlin during the Cold War and served as a symbol of the ideological and political divide between the Soviet bloc and the Western democracies. Erected in August 1961, it physically separated families and friends, restricting movement and highlighting the tensions of the Cold War era. It remained a potent representation of communist oppression until it fell in November 1989, leading to the reunification of Germany and signaling the decline of Soviet influence in Eastern Europe. Its fall marked a significant shift in global politics, leading toward the end of the Cold War.