Incredibly, 27 years after the world celebrated the fall of the detested Berlin Wall, barriers are back in fashion. Of course, this approach can backfire: the Berlin Wall inadvertently turned West Berlin into a highly attractive but unattainable island of Western prosperity in the heart of the Communist bloc. Officially, the Berlin Wall was a defensive structure to protect the people of East Berlin from Western fascism, though its real purpose, as everyone knew, was to keep them in. The Berlin Wall helped to embed the idea in German minds that they were two peoples, not one. By separating people, walls prevent that immediate human contact that can challenge stereotypes and develop understanding and compassion.

Source: The Local September 08, 2016 12:45 UTC