Anti-fascism was part of the official ideology and language of the communist state and "Antifaschistische Aktion" was considered an important part of the heritage of the governing SED along with the KPD itself. Eckhard Jesse notes that "anti-fascism" was ubiquitous in the language of the SED and used to justify repression such as the crackdown on the East German uprising of 1953. "Anti-fascism" generally meant the struggle against the Western world and NATO in general and against the western-backed West Germany and its main ally the United States in particular which were seen as the main fascist forces in the world by the SED. From 1961 to 1989, the SED used Anti-Fascist Protection Wall () as the official name for the Berlin Wall. This was in sharp contrast to the West Berlin city government which would sometimes refer to the same structure as the Wall of Shame.