Imagine that one morning you wake up and the wall that keeps your city separate from yours, keeps your country separate from your city, from your family, had fallen upon itself. Which is why millions really did learn the news on November 9, 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell, marking the end of one age and the start of another. For this reason, in this article, we will speak about this important event and its causes, and which significances were marked by it in Germany, Europe, and the world in general.
The Birth of The Berlin Wall
Before we understand the fall of the Berlin Wall, we have to understand its roots. After World War II ended in 1945, Germany was divided between victors with the eastern country under Soviet control. With the division becoming ever sharper during the Cold War, political tensions ran high, and as a consequence, a large wave of emigrations from East to West Germany appeared. In reaction the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the Soviet Union decided to build a physical barrier – the Berlin Wall.
On August 13, 1961 the Berlin Wall was started to be constructed. Its construction was made of concrete segments, barbed wire and guard towers, spanned 96 miles and encircled West Berlin. There was a purpose to it: East Germans were prevented from emigrating to the sleek west because of the fear of losing the East Germans’ skills labour and educated professionals. It separated families, tore friends apart and the city of berlin became a symbol of the Iron Curtain.
The Night of November 9, 1989
The short version of today’s story is the Berlin Wall wasn’t torn down overnight. Years of social and political pressure both in Germany and globally came to a head. The events, however, came only on the evening of November 9, 1989, just days after all of this, when this once impenetrable barrier suddenly fell.
The Mistaken Announcement
On that day, earlier, East German government spokesperson Günter Schabowski had a press conference, where he informed about some new travel regulations. Schabowski declared that East Germans could visit West Germany, by crossing at the border, immediately, due to an apparent misunderstanding of a last minute (urgent) decision. The news was mind blowing, and it spread like wildfire.
Unseen Scenes at the Border
On the afternoon as the sun had set over Berlin hordes of East Germans flocked to the border checkpoints. At the Bornholmer Strasse, Checkpoint Charlie and other crossing points crowds of curious, skeptical and hopeful people gathered. When the border guards could not stop the masses pouring in, they capitulated. They climbed on to the Wall, dancing, singing of their newfound freedom.
Implications and After Effects
In Germany, the fall of the Berlin Wall was a defining moment, but it was a defining moment for the world. It was the end of the Cold War, and changed the way the world looked at Europe.
Reunification of Germany
Right from the Wall’s fall, East and West Germany became one. Then came a vast wave of reconstruction and integration, as the country try to put the economic differences behind it, and to heal emotional wounds caused by years of separation.
European Integration
Far reaching for Europe as well was the fall of the Berlin Wall. The very existence of the Soviet Union came to an end — if only symbolically — and communism in other Eastern European countries collided. Besides, it helped to solidify Germany’s status as a force to be reckoned with in the European Union.
Symbol of Freedom
It is an enduring symbol of freedom and resilience and the human spirit, the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was symbol of unity over division and of people power. Collectors sought after souvenir pieces of the Wall, and fragments thereof exist in museums and memorials around the world.
Conclusion
It’s a watershed moment in human history—the fall of the Berlin Wall. It cut physical and metaphorical barriers that had kept a nation apart and paved the way to reunification, help shape Europe and inspire people across the globe. Today, there is still the Berlin Wall, a blackletter monument of hope, courage and the unbreakable urge toward freedom.
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