The Berlin Wall was built by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) starting on the night of August 12–13, 1961, under the direction of the East German government led by Walter Ulbricht. The initial barrier was a barbed wire and cinder block fence, which was quickly replaced by a more substantial concrete wall with watchtowers, gun emplacements, and other fortifications
. The construction was carried out by East Berlin construction workers under the close supervision of East German border guards and soldiers. The initiative for the wall's construction was influenced by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, who supported the East German government's goal of stopping the mass emigration of East Germans to West Berlin and West Germany
. The wall was built entirely on East German territory, enclosing West Berlin to prevent East Germans from fleeing to the West. It became a powerful symbol of the Cold War division between East and West until its fall in 1989
