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Cold War: Stories from the Big Freeze

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Factual: History

Bridget Kendall presents an oral history tracing decisive moments of the Cold War.

Cold War: Stories from the Big Freeze: Series 1: Episode 14: The Berlin Wall Crisis

Episode 14

Episode 14: The Berlin Wall Crisis

Series 1

The Berlin Wall Crisis

BBC Radio 4 - Cold War: Stories from the Big Freeze, Series 1, The Berlin Wall Crisis

Three stories of escaping from East Berlin, before and after the Berlin Wall went up.

By 1961, so many were fleeing communist East Germany that the country was in crisis. So the government built a wall to stop them. Bridget Kendall hears from three who escaped.

As part of her series tracing the crucial turning-points of the early Cold War, Bridget Kendall tells the story of the crisis that led up to the building of the Berlin Wall.

By 1961, so many were fleeing communist East Germany that the country was in crisis. So the government built the Berlin Wall to stop them. Would-be escapees were regularly gunned down.

Bridget hears the stories of three people who successfully fled East Berlin - one before the Wall went up, two who pulled it off even with the Wall in place.

And she finds out why they wanted to leave East Germany in the first place.
With: Leslie Colitt, Gisela Nicolaisen, Joachim Rudolph

Producers: Phil Tinline and Sabine Schereck.

Cold War: Stories from the Big Freeze: Series 1

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Bridget Kendall presents an oral history of the early Cold War.

Bridget Kendall presents an oral history of the early Cold War. Using interviews collected by the BBC for this series, Bridget traces the crucial turning points of the early Cold War.

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Cold War: Stories from the Big Freeze

Series 1

Episode 14: The Berlin Wall Crisis

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