History of Walls - Summary on a Map
History of Walls - Summary on a Map
In this video, we retrace the history of some of the most famous walls ever built, from antiquity until today.
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English translation \u0026 voiceover: Matthew Bates https://www.epicvoiceover.com/
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Original French version: • L’histoire des murs dans le monde - R…
Russian version: • Самые знаменитые стены мира - на карте
Arabic version: Coming soon
Spanish version: Coming soon
Portuguese version (Brazil): Coming soon
Japanese version: • 壁の歴史
Korean version: Coming soon
German version: • Die berühmten Mauern der Weltgeschich…
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Music: The Grey Train - Audio Hertz (Non-Exclusive License Agreement)
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Software: Adobe After Effects
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Chapters
00:00 Nomadic and Sedentary
02:21 The Roman Limes
04:14 The Great Wall
05:45 Walls in the 20th century
07:37 The end of the Cold War and decolonization
10:11 The conflicts of the 21st century
11:34 Anti-migrant walls
13:00 Climate walls
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#history #geohistory #walls #conflict #border
Content
0.3 -> We begin at around the third millennium BC in
Mesopotamia.
4.747 -> A good part of the population is already sedentary, practicing agriculture and animal husbandry.
10.838 -> But in the more arid zones, some people continue a nomadic way of life.
15.963 -> At that time, a 220 km long wall is built to separate the cultivated lands and the pastures used by the nomads.
22.963 -> This wall, barely more than one meter high, is made of dry stone and is relatively fragile.
29.963 -> It therefore probably does not have a defensive function per se,
35.766 -> but rather serves as a delimitation or border between two ways of life.
41.393 -> Around this same period, further east, the powerful Third Dynasty of Ur controls the Tigris-Euphrates basin.
49.138 -> But its north-western border is regularly attacked by nomadic Amorite tribes.
54.53 -> The king of Ur then builds a fortified wall, or possibly a set of defensive ramparts about 280 km long,
62.411 -> linking the Tigris and the Euphrates.
64.909 -> But Ur has other enemies, including Elam to the east who, in 2004 BC,
71.407 -> forms a coalition and seizes the capital.
74.686 -> The Amorite Wall then disappears without a trace.
78.56 -> Only ancient texts mention it.
81 -> If it did exist, its exact layout and composition are still unknown today.
86.75 -> In Asia, the king of Qin finishes unifying the surrounding kingdoms, and forms the Qin dynasty in 221 BC.
95.143 -> But in the north, nomadic Turco-Mongol tribes, called the Xiongnu, threaten.
100.449 -> The emperor then builds a Great Wall 6 meters high, replacing old defensive walls that became obsolete.
107.922 -> Tens of thousands of forced laborers are mobilized for the construction of the stone and clay structure.
114.792 -> It has, on the one hand, a defensive function,
117.608 -> and on the other hand it delimits the border between the external world, nomadic and onsidered barbaric,
123.993 -> and the internal world, unified and said to be civilized.
127.714 -> Later, the Han dynasty, after victories against the Xiongnu, extends the wall,
133.145 -> so that in the first century AD, it is 4000 km long, linking present-day Korea to the Gobi Desert.
144.72 -> In the second century AD, the Roman Empire is at its peak, controlling all the coasts of the Mediterranean basin.
152.352 -> The threat is then the peoples called barbarians, who live all around the empire.
157.562 -> Limes are built, that is to say, sets of roads, palisades, walls, watchtowers and ditches
164.056 -> that are adapted to the terrain, following ridges and linking rivers.
168.77 -> But they are not continuous nor
homogeneous.
171.861 -> In 122, in the province of Brittany, the emperor Hadrian puts an end to the expansionist policy of his predecessors,
179.622 -> and builds a wall that bears his name, isolating the Celtic peoples of the north.
185.004 -> About 4 meters high, it is made of stone and peat and is bordered by ditches.
190.716 -> It is 117 km long and connects the North Sea to the Irish Sea.
196.235 -> A few years later, Hadrian’s adopted son Antoninus, after military campaigns,
202.322 -> pushes the border further north, and builds a new wall which also bears his name.
207.61 -> On the continent, other limes are built to push back the Germanic peoples.
212.126 -> The most important one links the Rhine and the Danube over a stretch of 550 km,
218.213 -> including hundreds of watchtowers and forts.
221.295 -> In total, more than 5000 km of limes are built all around the Empire.
226.935 -> Their function is mainly to prevent large population movements and military invasions.
232.65 -> However, since they are not totally hermetic and are located on the borders,
237.25 -> the limes gradually become places of commercial exchange between the Romans and barbarian merchants.
244.213 -> They attract more and more foreigners who come to settle near the limes,
248.406 -> including on the Roman side, without there being any conquests or invasions.
257.151 -> In Asia, at the beginning of the 13th century,
260.045 -> the Mongol Empire of Genghis Khan begins the conquest of China.
264.514 -> Despite the Great Wall, the Jin dynasty is invaded.
268.239 -> The Mongols then found the Yuan dynasty, which imposes itself on all of China.
274.001 -> The Great Wall is in the center of the empire and serves no more benefit.
278.569 -> But in 1368, after an insurrection, the Chinese chase out the Mongol power, and found the Ming dynasty.
286.381 -> But the Mongolian threat is still present in the north, and the Great Wall is rebuilt:
292.136 -> this time with stone and brick, and up to 7 to 10 meters high.
296.916 -> Towards the end of the 16th century,
its construction is completed.
301.1 -> Hundreds of thousands of soldiers form permanent garrisons all along the Great Wall.
306.456 -> But its construction, its maintenance, and the permanent garrisons cost the empire dearly,
312.251 -> and the economy deteriorates, which provokes revolts.
315.7 -> In 1644, a rebel army seizes Beijing, which results in the emperor committing suicide.
322.843 -> But at the eastern end of the Great Wall, a general who remains loyal to the Ming
328.298 -> chooses to ally with the Manchus of the Qing dynasty, and opens the gates of the Great Wall to them.
335.047 -> The Manchus then impose themselves on the whole of China,
338.602 -> and extend their territory as far as present-day Mongolia, making the Great Wall obsolete.
348.608 -> During the Second World War, Nazi Germany, which dominates Europe,
353.289 -> fears an Allied military landing from Great Britain.
356.795 -> The Atlantic Wall is then built all along the European coast.
360.858 -> It is not a wall per se, but rather a series of fortifications,
364.893 -> mainly bunkers, but also minefields, and obstacles intended to block tanks.
370.232 -> But these constructions are not enough to prevent the largest military landing in history
375.804 -> that takes place in Normandy.
377.842 -> After World War II, the Cold War revives the construction of walls.
382.222 -> Europe finds itself divided by what is called the Iron Curtain, separating the Soviet camp from the Western camp.
390.086 -> The USSR monitors the 8500 km of this new political border,
395.562 -> with the main objective being preventing migration from East to West.
400.207 -> A zone of up to 5 km wide is forbidden to the population,
404.246 -> while on the western side there’s a strip about ten meters wide,
408.242 -> without constructions or vegetation, which is mined and monitored.
413.16 -> Finally, the border is closed by a barbed wire fence that can be electrified.
418.45 -> In Korea, the war rages between North Korea – supported by the communists –
423.943 -> and South Korea – defended by the Western camp.
427.242 -> In 1953, a cease-fire is signed,
430.416 -> and a demilitarized zone 250 km long and 4 km wide becomes the new border between the two countries.
439.271 -> The central zone is completely empty, while the extremities are mined and closed off by electric and barbed wire fences.
447.829 -> The DMZ is constantly guarded by more than one million soldiers,
452.884 -> making it the most militarized zone in the world.
460.14 -> In Germany, Berlin, which is divided in two,
463.716 -> remains an easy passage point for those who want to migrate from the Soviet camp to the Western camp.
469.893 -> To put an end to this migration, on the night of August 12th to 13th, 1961,
475.613 -> the Soviets begin the construction of a brick wall
478.812 -> topped with barbed wire along the 43 km of the border between East and West Berlin.
485.126 -> This wall, which is under high surveillance, will be progressively improved,
489.864 -> to finally be composed of concrete panels over 3 meters high.
494.233 -> In 1969 in Belfast, violent clashes take place between Catholics,
500.043 -> who are victims of discrimination, and protestants.
503.406 -> Little by little, walls are installed throughout the city to separate Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods.
509.553 -> Called “walls of peace”, they can be metal fences, or brick or concrete walls that can measure up to 7 meters high.
517.737 -> In the Mediterranean Sea, Cyprus, which has been independent since 1960,
523.261 -> is torn by violence between the Greek
and Turkish communities.
527.677 -> In 1974, Greece, which dreams of annexing Cyprus, supports a coup d'état.
534.141 -> In response, Turkey invades the north of the island.
537.493 -> After a ceasefire, a buffer zone, called the Green Line, is created to divide the island in two,
543.66 -> including the capital Nicosia.
545.837 -> This 180 km long zone is under the supervision of the United Nations.
551.235 -> In Africa, after Spanish withdrawal from Western Sahara,
555.279 -> the independence of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is proclaimed by the Polisario Front.
561.887 -> But the territory is also claimed by Morocco and Mauritania.
565.791 -> In 1979, after a coup in Mauritania, a peace agreement is signed with the Polisario Front,
572.022 -> and the country abandons its territorial claims.
575.496 -> Morocco then begins the annexation
of Western Sahara.
579.21 -> Over 7 years, the country builds 6 walls that allow it to control 80% of the territory.
585.949 -> 2,700 km long, the wall is mainly made of sand and stones to a height of 3 meters.
592.597 -> The area is constantly under military surveillance, including with radar.
597.852 -> In Berlin, on November 9th, 1989, after weeks of demonstrations,
603.1 -> the Berlin Wall is torn down, marking the beginning of the fall of the Soviet bloc and the USSR.
614.4 -> Despite the end of the Cold War,
616.642 -> the construction of new walls explodes in the world at the beginning of the 21st century.
621.99 -> In Asia, India and Pakistan are fighting for control of Kashmir since 1947.
627.943 -> The region is divided between the two countries, with some little parts under Chinese control.
634.111 -> In 2004, India finalizes the construction of 550 km of walls on its part,
640.802 -> mainly barbed wire fences intended to prevent infiltration of Pakistani separatists onto its territory.
647.84 -> At the same time, Israel, after the second intifada,
651.483 -> builds a 730 km long wall in the West Bank to prevent attacks on its territory.
657.975 -> But during its construction, Israel takes the opportunity to encroach on the Palestinian territories.
664.283 -> This wall is mainly made of barbed wire fences that are bordered by a road that allows the passage of patrols.
670.943 -> Where it goes through towns, it is composed of concrete slabs up to 8 meters high.
676.531 -> In the Gaza Strip, after Hamas takes power,
679.611 -> Israel and Egypt begin building walls all around the enclave to block migration, smuggling, and attacks.
686.505 -> The wall built by Israel goes several dozen meters deep into the ground to prevent the construction of tunnels.
696.84 -> The Arab Spring, tensions in the Horn of Africa, the war against ISIS, the instability of Afghanistan
704.75 -> are all causing huge waves of migration to Europe.
708.309 -> In 2015, more than 1 million migrants enter the old continent.
713.46 -> In response, many European states are trying to block this migration by building walls and barbed wire barriers,
720.5 -> including within the Schengen area itself.
723.242 -> In North America, the border between the United States and Mexico
727.116 -> is by far the most crossed border in the world, with approximately 350 million legal crossings per year.
735.298 -> In 2016, during the presidential campaign,
738.795 -> Donald Trump promises to build 1,600 km of walls to combat illegal immigration, and drug and gun smuggling.
747.587 -> 5.5 m high, he promises it will be entirely financed by Mexico.
753.54 -> But despite his election, the project is obstructed on multiple fronts,
758.431 -> and in 2021, at the end of his mandate, only 83 km of new walls have been built,
764.895 -> with an additional 650 km of existing walls being upgraded.
769.88 -> In addition to all of this nation state wall building,
773.4 -> more and more walls are being built all over the world to isolate rich neighborhoods from poor ones.
782.46 -> Today, new types of walls are appearing in certain coastal areas or along rivers
789.327 -> to protect against the forces of nature.
792 -> In Japan, after the 2011 tsunami,
795.077 -> the country is now finalizing the construction of 430 km of concrete anti-tsunami walls,
802.052 -> very thick at the base, and sometimes
up to fifteen meters high.
806.465 -> In New York, on the island of Manhattan,
809.422 -> a concrete wall up to 8 meters high and 18 meters deep is being built to prevent future floods
815.521 -> that are likely to be increasingly frequent due to rising sea levels.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho0B2wZZ9uU