"Why would the People's Paradise of East Germany build a wall anyway? Who would even want to escape?"

Explanation: During the Cold War, Germany was split into East Germany and West Germany. Berlin, likewise, was split into East Berlin and West Berlin. West Berlin was a ‘popular’ destination for East Germans seeking to get out of East Germany, since West Berlin was an exclave in East Germany.

Rumors in East Germany abounded about the government’s plans to build a wall to stop East Germans from ‘escaping’ through West Berlin. The government denied it.

Predictably, the government was, in fact, building a wall, complete with barbed wire and kill-zones covered by machine guns.

East Germans still risked their lives trying to escape to West Germany.