Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall (German: Die Berliner Mauer) was a long barrier separating West Berlin from East Berlin and the surrounding territory of East Germany. The East German authorities called it the ?antifaschistischer Schutzwall? (Anti-Fascist Protection Wall). Its purpose was to restrict access between West Berlin and East Germany. It was built in 1961 and fortified over the years, but was opened to unrestricted transit on November 9, 1989 and subsequently almost entirely demolished.

The fall of the Wall

On August 23, 1989, Hungary removed its border restrictions with Austria, and in September more than 13,000 East Germans escaped through Hungary. Mass demonstrations against the government in East Germany began in the fall of 1989. The leader of East Germany, Erich Honecker, resigned on October 18, 1989. He was briefly replaced by a successor, Egon Krenz, a few days later.

Related Topics:
August 23 - 1989 - Hungary - Austria - Erich Honecker - October 18 - Egon Krenz

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The new Krenz government decided to allow East Berliners to apply for visas to travel to West Berlin. However, Günter Schabowski, the East German Minister of Propaganda had been on vacation prior to this decision and hadn't been fully updated on all the protesting and this particular decision. During a press conference on November 9 in 1989, he was handed a note which he decided to read out loud and that turned out to be a huge mistake. The note said that East Berliners would be allowed to cross the border with proper permission. When asked who this would apply to etc. he couldn't answer because he really didn't know (he had been on vacation as previously noted). And at a crucial point of the conference he was asked when this would come into action. He didn't really know so he just assumed it would be the same day. Tens of thousands of people immediately went to the checkpoints in the Wall and demanded entry into West Berlin. They quickly became a major crowd control problem for the surprised and overwhelmed border guards. Many hectic telephone calls with the guards' superiors ensued while still more people kept converging on the major crossing points. It became clear that there was no way to hold back the huge crowd of East German citizens short of dispatching the army to kill them all, as the vastly outnumbered border guards had only been equipped for another day of regular duty. The masses could also not be convinced to turn back or calm down — they had heard of Mr. Schabowski's statement, and they wanted it to be acted upon. The only way to hold the crowds back would have been through the use of massive lethal force, but this would have meant massacring the country's own citizens in huge numbers — which the guards and authorities were simply not willing to do. In face of the escalating crowd safety situation, the guards eventually just yielded, opening the access points and allowing people through with (at most) minimal identity verification checks. The ecstatic East Berliners were soon greeted by jubilant West Berliners on the other side in a celebratory, party atmosphere. November 9 is thus considered the date the Wall fell. In the days and weeks that followed, people began arriving at the wall with sledgehammers and physically demolishing it, section by section.

Related Topics:
Günter Schabowski - November 9 - 1989

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