Background: One of the most popular magazines in East Germany was Eulenspiegel, a satirical weekly. The Communist Party’s Agitation Department kept careful watch on Eulenspiegel, being sure it did not go too far. It was allowed to criticize some aspects of life in the GDR, as long as the criticism stayed local. It also had to support the party line, whatever it was. The building of the Berlin Wall is an interesting example of the magazine’s attempt to put the best satirical face on an unsettling event. The source: Issues just before and after 13 August 1961. Eulenspiegel Cartoons on the Berlin Wall