The Fatal Mistake That Brought Down the Berlin Wall

What reason does a "leader" such as Stalin give to not allow their citizens to leave?

A unique event of peaceful and happy reunion after a long separation. What a night! 🥳

This is one of the most important parts of our history and to think it was brought on by someone stuttering down the Wall.

Need this for NK + SK.

Ya Bowie!! Legend!

No one starved or died of thirst in the GDR. It certainly wasn't a paradise, but it wasn't a Warsaw ghetto either. In the GDR, women were legally equal to men from the beginning and had the opportunity to learn professions and work. In West Germany, this was not possible, and a woman needed the written consent of her father or husband until the 1970s so that a woman could work or learn a profession. In West Germany it was unthinkable for a long time, a woman a higher minister post or judge post has. In the GDR, this was normal, for example Hilde Benjamin was Minister of Justice and for many years President of the highest court in the GDR.

Immediately, without delay.

I'm literally having tears in my eyes right now. This is such an important part of our history and we talk about it a ton in school and stuff - a thing that shouldn't be forgotten is that quite a lot of people, including me and my brother, wouldn't be alive if not for that historical moment. My parents are from different parts of Germany, with my mother being from western Berlin and my father from eastern Germany, and they couldn't have met if not for that happening...

Socialism/communism always fail in the long run. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

English language retellings of the fall of communism in Europe always skip Poland. The fall didn't start in Germany. The reason this happened in Berlin was because Poland has already made reforms and wasn't punished. The Russian tanks didn't come like they did so many times before. So then all the other countries tried what they can get away with and the snowball effect finally led to the fall of Berlin wall and the change became permanent. But somehow it became a symbol of the start not the culmination of these changes.

Afghanistan war 1980 - 1988 with the help of I.S.I Pakistan security service brought Soviet Union to its knees !!!!!!!!

Tha bigest mistake. They will destroy the EE.

An amazing event. Pity that Germany was able to reunite and generate a mega State in central Europe. The undertakings given by Kohl to France and Britain were worthless. With Germany rearming in the light of the appalling Russian invasion of Ukraine. This American take is full of holes.

get some education!!!!!!!!!!!!

SOLIDARNOSC in Poland (created in 1980) started fall of communism!!!!!! Polish workers gave their lives for it!!!!!!!!!!!!

In late January 2022 I laid hands on the Berlin Wall.

It's amazing I have never seen any Democratic country have massive protest wanting to go Comunist. One would think that communism would fall. Look at russia & China. Neither will fall, but they have a large & growing Democracy movements. If 1 great leader of communism would force a transition to Democracy. It would take 2 more successive presidents. if Russia wouldnt gave grown a putin problem they could be a democracy by now. We would all be safer. It's just not like a Democracy to force another country to follow. We encourage a real vote by the people. (Freedom) I am jaded but I believe it to be true. Majority of people given the chance to live in a flawed democracy or a curropt communist country. They choose freedom in an admitted unperfect system. Comunist can't admit that there system is flawed also. It is very vulnerable to dictators arising from there leaders. Thus is where I should throw a political zinger. Let's stop that. Let's be together united.m, because with a Autocratic society they do get to work because of the whip. A Democracy can take time to adjust. In today's workd we need to be united to deter or prevent an attack but in today's world the ability to adapt quick is important. So if we stop arguing about who our president is we need to be prepared the largest thing is together so good old American ebgibuity can take over & together we can solve a lot & show the workd that when the 2 largest comunist countries are struggling. The world's beacon of hope for freedom for all together & real to defend the world from the true counterpart across the ocean not our brothers & sisters across the isle.

👍👍👍❤❤❤

So you WOKEsters are crediting David Bowie and NOT Pope John, Ronald Reagan, and Margret Thatcher??? You PROVE what is going wrong with our educational system - the LIBs/Socialized Teacher's Union rewrite history to suit their purpose!!!

I diaagree with this title. It should be: History of the wall of Berlin.

This video is about the history of the wall, not only the cause of the fall of the wall.

"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall!" - no credit given where credit is due = fake history.

This is basically the day that communism died

Dear Russia, nobody wants to join your new Soviet Union 🤦🏻‍♂️

I was a British Solider that served in Berlin before the wall came down. I remember hearing the news, thinking “YES, we did it” we had protected the city long enough for them to be free.

Reagan speech I believe also helped. He said Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.

Just to know who's who, Putin has said that the fall of the Soviet Union was a great tragedy. And, the GQP, and tRump, they LOVE PUTIN. So remember that when it comes time to vote.

You did not mention President Reagan’s “Tear Down This Wall” speech. Reagan was a REAL president. Not the demented clown we have today.

The Politburo had gone home, gone to sleep and could not be reached. The border guards did the usual service and had no idea what was coming. When the crowds came to the border, border officials could not reach anyone by phone who wanted to make a decision. But more and more pushed to the border and claimed to be allowed through. Then the border guards decided to let only the loudest through. But after that there was no way to close the border.

The problem was also that West Germany introduced a new currency, while East Germany initially stayed with the old currency. Anyone who still had old money from the West that was no longer of any value there could buy big in the East. The old currency flooded the East, making the value there even lower. So the East had to introduce its own currency out of necessity.

For 40 years, East Germany promised its citizens improvements, which initially succeeded. But soon people noticed that the people got the slogans and the few leaders of the East got the prosperity.
If you always try to improve the situation, but then find that you have no benefit from it, you will soon be disappointed.
The people in the East were really hardworking and creative with ideas. But the leaders did not understand this and refused proposals.
On the other hand, people saw that success is possible in the West. Even if you thought success in the West was easy.

Recently, the people in the east have demanded that the laws in the east are observed and that real democratic elections are held. Even the powerful party was reported to the police when they announced a 96% electoral success. A recount revealed that it was only 60%. But that shook the power of the party.

In trying to accommodate the people, the previously powerful party made mistakes.
Everything was decided that looked like saving the situation without thinking about it.

Schabowski was NOT leader of the East Berlin communist party, he was, at that time, Secretary of Information

Real Talk

Just a couple of corrections: Germany was divided into zones and Berlin into sectors. Documentation after the Fall of the Wall, shows that the decision to erecta wall surrounding Berlin was taken by the East German Communist Party leadership, especially Erich Honecker and Walter Ulbricht. Nikita Khrushchev was against it, as it could have provoked the Western Allies to take action. In fact, Khrushchev had told Ulbricht that if the Western Allies ordered the East German authorities to stop or Western Allies soldiers dismantled the barbed wire or knocked down the building blocks, then the East Germans were to desist. Other than that, this is a nicely done video for students.

I was stationed in Bad Kissingen, Germany in the early 70's with the 11th ACR. We were responsible for border patrol along the Fulda gap. The East Germans weren't the problem, it was the SMLM that we watched out for but weren't allowed to intercept. Lots of stories...some sad some funny.

Lol NO TOUCHING

30 years later, east germans are still the poorest people in Germany, and are being exploited by (ex-west)-german companies. Many complain of having been duped by the west's propaganda...

The fated mistake was the United States guaranteeing Russian that if they allow for East and west Germany to unite that the US won’t allow the UN to further inch eastward toward Russian occupied Territory given to Russia during the WWII treaty. Why was it a fatal mistake you ask? Because the UN violated peace treaties by suggesting Ukraine to enter into NATO and now we have a war to deal with.

Fatal mistake ? Fatal to whom ? To the Warszawa states ? To the oppression of the people in Eastern Europe ? To the dictatorhip of the socialist party SED in East Germany and to their cruel watchdogs in the secret police STASI ?

The mistake was fatal indeed.

Fatal for us in the west!

A quickie, simplistic version of events, but, given the average person's knowledge of history/geography/politics (I'm afraid this applies especially to citizens of the USA), this may improve their knowledge and understanding 1000%.

And not a single mention of Ronald Reagan and his Berlin speach.

There were no landmines along the Berlin Wall.

So another 9/11

I was a student at the time, and had travelled a lot in the former East Block. We could not believe our eyes when watching hours and hours of TV-news. What a joy. That night we all had a helluva party.

Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall!

Like people leaving NY, NJ & CA

For anyone who wonders, yes, it is the same typical Russian rhetoric and demanding that has led us to the War in Ukraine with Russia wanting to restablish its pre-World War One, hench they want NATO to withdraw so its 1990 borders so Russia can invade the East European Countries.

Most from the east came back the next morning

Gorbachev also stated the people thought Americans lived like the TV show Dallas. We beamed in past their blockers

Trust the words of Gorbachev. He clearly stated Chernobyl lost the trust of the client states.

The space race had nothing to do with the economic issues of the Soviet union.