Why was the Berlin Wall initially constructed?

The initial construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 was primarily aimed at preventing East Germans from defecting to West Berlin and, by extension, to West Germany. During the post-World War II period, there was a significant exodus of people from the economically and politically oppressive conditions of East Germany to the more prosperous West. This mass migration posed a threat to the stability of the East German government, which sought to maintain control and prevent Western influence from permeating its territory. Thus, the wall was erected as a physical barrier to keep Western ideas and people out of East Berlin, solidifying the division between the communist East and the democratic West. This action was indicative of the broader Cold War tensions between the Soviet Union and the Western powers, particularly the United States.