Collapse Of The Berlin Wall Flashcards
What happened in Hungary in May 1989?
Hungarian government took down fence along the border with non-communist Austria and 13,000 East Germans got out
How did East German government react to Hungary opening borders?
Disallowed travel to Hungary
What happened in september 1989 (peaceful revolution)?
Protests where many people wanted to go to west. People went from shouting ‘We want out!’ to ‘we are staying!’
What did Schabowski of the Politburo party do?
Had to announce change in city’s relations with the West
What did Schabowski say in a TV address?
Citizens of GDR could cross the border from midnight
What happened on 9th November 1989?
People rushed to the wall, drinking beer and shooting ‘Tor auf’ (Open the gate!). Pressure was too high so refugees could now directly exit through crossing points of Germany
How did Hungary start a chain of events?
Didn’t let more East Germans cross border so returned them to Budapest. East Germans flooded West German embassy and refised to return to East Germany
What did the fall of the Berlin Wall mean on a personal level?
Citizens could be reunited with relatives and friends they hadn’t seen for almost 30 years
How did people commemorate the day the Wall fell?
Days after the border opened, they took hammers and chipped away parts of the Berlin Wall as a souvenir
What was the fall of the Berlin wall in political terms?
Mainly a symbolic event. By Nov 1989, East Germans could travel through Austria anyway. Communist governments falling and USSR showed no intention of stopping protest and demand for reform
What was the Berlin Wall a symbol of?
The cold war and Soviet control. It had divided Europe for 30 years and its destruction became the symbol of the end of Soviet control and the end of the Cold War
How did Gorbachev show he was weak with controlling the Soviet Union?
The orders Schabowski gave to take down the wall were not consulted with Gorbachev
