Republikflucht is the German term given to the process by which people left the German Democratic Republic (GDR) for a life in West Germany or indeed any other Western country. The term is used to apply mainly to those who left East Germany between 1949 and 1961 - the year in which the Berlin Wall was constructed. Credible estimates put the number of those who left during this period at between 2.5 and 3 million. Estimates of up to 5 million have been given but these have been widely discredited. The numbers leaving the GDR following the construction of the Wall on 13th August 1961 dropped sharply as attempts to leave the Republic constituted a criminal act and carried severe penalties. Moreover, an attempt to flee the GDR via its fortified borders involved considerable personal risk of injury or death. GDR redirects here. ... East German construction workers building the Berlin Wall, 20 November 1961. ...