In 1989 history changed with the destruction of Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall’s breakdown ended both Cold War tensions and brought together Germany’s separated parts. To understand the Berlin Wall’s downfall we need to examine key political social and economic trends that invented its collapse.

During the Cold War years Germany split into two parts but the Berlin Wall fell in 1989.

During the Cold War years the United States and Soviet Union stood in deep political and belief differences. This period of political standoff ran between 1947 and 1991 after World War II ended. The end of World War II created East and West German territories because the Russians took control in Eastern Germany and Americans controlled democratic West Germany.

In 1961 East Germany set up the Berlin Wall to block East Berliners from escaping to West Berlin. The wall existed mainly to block large numbers of people from leaving East Germany for West Germany. The dangerous competition between the United States and the Soviet Union strengthened through this boundary.

Social and Political Factors

People in Germany suffered deeply because of the Berlin Wall’s establishment. People living in different parts of Germany lost contact with each other because authorities created strict travel limits. People stopped trusting their government’s limited freedoms and began to want something better.

The Berlin Wall fell because people demanded to live together as one unified nation. East German citizens started more peaceful demonstrations every Monday. The people in Eastern Europe inspired others to speak out because they saw others winning democracy in their region.

Economic Factors

Developments in East Germany’s economy helped cause the Berlin Wall to fall. Despite achieving economic success West Germany’s neighbor East Germany showed decreasing economic activity and lacking essential supplies. The extreme difference between East and West German standards of living made people in the east want their countries to merge.

Due to its own economic problems the Soviet Union lost the ability to maintain East German finances which collapsed. The Berlin Wall fell because East Germany’s economy failed to support its running costs.

The Role of Mikhail Gorbachev

As the top leader of the Soviet Communist Party Mikhail Gorbachev actively contributed to the event when the Berlin Wall fell. Following his appointment the Soviet president started official programs such as perestroika and glasnost. He put new practices in place to make politics more open and to improve how the economy worked.

By supporting reforms and talks Gorbachev made Cold War tensions decrease. He made a choice not to send troops into changing Eastern Europe which helped bring down the Berlin Wall.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall

The people forced political leaders to act when the Berlin Wall came down. On November 9 1989 officials made an error that led them to tell people they could travel freely beginning that day. News of the border changes spread fast which brought thousands of East Germans to stand at the wall demanding access to the West.

People built up such heavy numbers that the border guards couldn’t resist and opened the checkpoints. At this time Germany’s past ended while it healed its two separated parts. After its collapse the Berlin Wall started a fresh period in European history.

Conclusion

Social, political, and financial conditions built up over time to make the Berlin Wall fall. Eastern Germans wanted freedom and they pushed for change because their lifestyle was worse than how West Germans lived to erase this prominent barrier. People demanded change through Mikhail Gorbachev’s reforms which brought down both Berlin’s barrier and ended the Cold War.

When the Berlin Wall fell people learned how their actions create history while showing us why liberty and solidarity matter. This celebrated symbol keeps alive our dreams while showing us that state borders can be removed.