The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 by East Germany to stop the flow of refugees from East to West Berlin. The city of Berlin had been divided after World War 2 with West Berlin controlled by the US, UK, and France, and East Berlin controlled by the Soviet Union. Over 100,000 people fled East Germany for West Berlin each year due to economic hardship. The Berlin Wall closed access between the two halves of the city, trapping East Berliners. Its construction showed the failure of Khrushchev's demands that the Western powers withdraw from West Berlin and recognize East Germany. The wall divided families and became a symbol of the Cold War divide between democracy and communism in Europe.