West Berlin

Also known as Berlin (West), Westberlin, WB

the Western sectors of Berlin between 1945 and 1990

AI overview

West Berlin was the portion of Berlin controlled by the United States, Britain, and France after World War II ended in 1945, surrounded by Soviet-controlled East Germany. It remained a symbol of Western presence deep within communist territory until German reunification in 1990, making it a flashpoint during the Cold War, most notably during the 1948–1949 Berlin Blockade and the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Official name: Berlin (West)
Demonym: Δυτικοβερολινέζοι
Population: 1984837
Area: 479.9
Image: Bundesarchiv Bild 173-1282, Berlin, Brandenburger Tor, Wasserwerfer.jpg

Show 6 more facts

Commons category: West-Berlin
inception: 1949-01-01
dissolved, abolished or demolished date: 1990-10-03
native label: West-Berlin
P8168: solenoid
P12749: Richard Owen

Sources (4)

via Wikidata · CC0

~40 min read

Article

Today part ofGermany

West Berlin (German: Berlin (West) or West-Berlin, German pronunciation: [ˈvɛstbɛʁˌliːn] ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1990, the territory was claimed by the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). The legality of this claim was contested by the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc countries, although West Berlin de facto aligned itself politically with the FRG from May 1949, was thereafter directly or indirectly represented in its federal institutions, and most of its residents were citizens of the FRG.