On November 9th, 1989, the Berlin Wall fell after almost 30 years. It had separated East Germany (the German Democratic Republic) from West Berlin. At first, Berlin was the only way to escape to the West, but on August 13, 1961, the border was closed. After that, no one could flee to the West anymore.
Many people tried to escape because of the bad economy and lack of freedom, but only a few were successful. Shortly before the border opened, there were many peaceful protests. People fought for the right to travel freely.
On the evening of November 9, the politician and SED member Günter Schabowski finally announced the freedom to travel in a press conference. This event is also called the fall of the Berlin Wall. Thousands of Berliners rushed to the border crossings. The border guards could not stop the crowds, and shortly after midnight, all border crossings were open.
Just nine months later, which was a very short time, Germany was reunited.
Franziska
Keine Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen