Premise: The Berlin Wall ( Berliner Mauer ) was a guarded concrete barrier that physically and ideologically divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989 . Constructed by the German Democratic Republic ( GDR , East Germany ) , starting on 13 August 1961 , the Wall completely cut off ( by land ) West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin until government officials opened it in November 1989 . The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls , which circumscribed a wide area ( later known as the `` death strip '' ) that contained anti-vehicle trenches , `` fakir beds '' and other defenses . The Eastern Bloc claimed that the Wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the `` will of the people '' in building a socialist state in East Germany . In 1989 , a series of revolutions in nearby Eastern Bloc countries -- Poland and Hungary in particular -- caused a chain reaction in East Germany that ultimately resulted in the demise of the Wall .
Hypothesis: The Berlin Wall was a concrete manufacturing firm.
Label: CONTRADICTION