The location of West Berlin, which was a democratic and capitalist enclave surrounded by communist East Germany, was a major factor in the decision to build the Berlin Wall. East Germany was concerned that the presence of West Berlin would encourage East Germans to flee to the West, which would further weaken the already struggling East German economy and political system. The construction of the Berlin Wall was an attempt to stop the flow of refugees and to prevent the spread of democratic ideas into East Germany. The Wall became a symbol of the Cold War and the division of Europe between the democratic West and the communist East.