Super Short Summary

Published in 2006, Frederick Taylor’s The Berlin Wall: A World Divided, 1961–1989 examines the construction, existence, and fall of Germany’s Berlin Wall through the roles played by East and West Germany, the Soviet Union, and the United States. Taylor argues that the West allowed the Wall to stand, despite public protests, to maintain European stability, and details the impact on Berlin’s citizens and President Kennedy’s decision to prioritize peace over intervention. The book discusses violence and deaths from attempts to cross the Wall.