Berlin Wall Falls - 9 November 1989 (1 Viewer)

[BLReed]

Twenty-five Years Ago the Berlin Wall Falls
--------------------9 November 1989----------------------

In 1989, a series of radical political changes occurred in the Eastern Bloc, associated with the liberalization of the Eastern Bloc's authoritarian systems and the erosion of political power in the pro-Soviet governments in nearby Poland and Hungary. After several weeks of civil unrest, the East German government announced on 9 November 1989 that all GDR citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin. Crowds of East Germans crossed and climbed onto the wall, joined by West Germans on the other side in a celebratory atmosphere. Over the next few weeks, euphoric public and souvenir hunters chipped away parts of the wall; the governments later used industrial equipment to remove most of what was left. Contrary to popular belief the wall's actual demolition did not begin until Summer 1990 and was not completed until 1992.[1] The fall of the Berlin Wall paved the way for German reunification, which was formally concluded on 3 October 1990.

 

[BLReed]

THE HISTORY OF THE BERLIN WALL
-----------National Geographic-----------

 

[BLReed]

--------------------------Celebration at Brandenburg Gate
--------------------------------------------9 November 2014

At the event German Chancellor Angela Merkel noted that Nov. 9 is a significant date
in German history also for being the day when, in 1938, Nazi paramilitaries launched a
pogrom against the country's Jewish population in what became known as Kristallnacht
— the "Night of Broken Glass."

 

[DMNamiot]

Hi Guys,

We took the kids over there in the early part of the day to see the path of the wall. It was very cool for my kids to get a better understanding of what the wall stood for and where it was because they have been to Berlin several times but didnt really understand East v West. Was a fun day and there were a lot of people there checking it out. We didnt see Merkel but we did see some of her guards securing the area outside where she was.

Dave