The Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989
On November 9th 1989, the Berlin Wall that separated East Germany and West Germany was finally tore down after nearly three decades. Günter Schabowski, a government official for East Germany announced that people of Germany could now cross the border as they wished. The Berlin Wall had become "the most enduring symbol of the Cold War" (Ratnesar, 2007).
As President Reagan addressed the Soviet leader, he pleaded for him to 'tear down this wall'
""General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate!" Reagan says. The crowd starts to erupt. "Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate!" At this point, 20,000 Berliners are cheering Reagan on." (Ratnesar, 2007)
This image is iconic of the 1980s as it was so sudden. People did not realise that Germany would be an undivided state and were relieved that they could now pass freely into West Germany.
References
http://www.history.com/topics/berlin-wall
http://history1900s.about.com/od/coldwa1/a/berlinwall.htm
http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1631828,00.html
http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1631993_1383230,00.html
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