PALIN MITENK BLOG

The Berlin Wall

On Nov. 9, 1989, the communist East German government announced that all citizens would be permitted to visit West Berlin and West Germany, officially ending half a century of militarily enforced division. As the news spread, crowds of Eastern and Western Germans rushed to the Berlin Wall, where they met on top in peaceful celebration.


The fall of the Berlin Wall -- the ultimate symbol of Cold War tensions and division -- began the process of German reunification and precipitated the downfall of other communist regimes across Eastern Europe. Germany was officially reunited on Oct. 3, 1990.

In this photo, East and West Germans join hands in front of the Brandenburg Gate, where, two years earlier, American President Ronald Reagan had called on Soviet Premier Gorbachev to allow German reunification.

A symbol of communist oppression since 1961, the Berlin Wall or 'Iron Curtain' became the site of massive celebration for Germans.


Soviets in Berlin

May 20, 1945: Victorious Soviet troops march past the Brandenburg Gate at the end of World War II in Berlin, Germany.

The Nazis surrendered to the Allied Powers on May 8, 1945, agreeing to divide Germany and its capital city, Berlin, into four sectors -- an American zone, a British zone, a French zone and a Soviet zone.

The American, French, and British occupiers encouraged Western Germany to develop a democratic government, while the Soviets imposed a communist regime. Germany thus became an early site of Cold War tensions.



Berlin Airlift

June 6, 1948: U.S. Air Force C-54 Skymaster aircraft lands at Berlin Tempelhof Airport during The Berlin Airlift.

The Berlin Airlift was prompted by the Soviet's Berlin Blockade, one of the first international crises of the Cold War. Soviet forces, seeking to block the Western Allies' railway and road access to the three sectors of Berlin under Western control, hoped to take control of the entire city by becoming the sole suppliers of food and fuel for Berlin.

In response to the Soviet aggression, the Western Allies organized the Berlin Airlift to transport supplies to the millions of people -- without food or fuel -- stranded in West Berlin.



Aug. 13, 1978: The Berlin Wall and heavy border fortifications prevent East Germans from traveling to West Berlin, cutting off all access to Western Europe.






'Tear Down That Wall'

June 12, 1987: President Ronald Reagan delivers his historic 'Tear down this wall' speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate, located just over the Berlin Wall on the East German side.

With the symbol of German national pride as his backdrop, Reagan famously called on Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev to end the division between East and West Germany, and with that, to end the division between Eastern and Western Europe.



Germans Reunited

Nov, 10, 1989: Residents of East and West Germany meet on top of the Berlin Wall to celebrate the lifting of travel restrictions.

Just hours earlier, the communist East German government announced that all citizens would be permitted to visit West Berlin and West Germany. Crowds of Eastern and Western Germans climbed onto the wall, where they met in peaceful celebration.

The fall of the Berlin Wall began the process of German reunification and precipitated the fall of other communist regimes across Eastern Europe. Germany was officially reunited on Oct. 3, 1990.



Berlin Wall Memorial

Aug. 12, 2003: Commemorative crosses erected for Berlin Wall victims on banks of the River Spree, Berlin, Germany




Berlin Wall Memorial

Aug. 13, 2001: Flowers are placed at the Berlin Wall memorial in memory of victims who died fleeing East Germany, during the 40th anniversary commemoration in Berlin, Germany.




Brandenburg Gate

East and West German citizens celebrate as they climb the Berlin Wall at the Brandenburg gate after the opening of the East German border was announced in Berlin, November 9, 1989. On the left is a view of the Brandenburg Gate July 22, 2009.

source: foxnews.com