The fall of the Berlin Wall , d on November 9, 1989, was an event that represented the unification of Germany, which was divided into two parts by this wall, due to ideological issues.

The Berlin Wall had been built in 1961, so for 28 years it divided West Berlin from the eastern part, the communist German Democratic Republic (GDR), which was dominated by the Soviet Union.

The wall was erected in order to prevent the exodus of Germans from the GDR to West Germany (FRG) . However, this wall not only geographically divided both sides of Berlin, but represented an ideological and political divide between the different regimes.

In 1989, after the GDR allowed passage to the western part , some civilians and soldiers dedicated themselves to destroying the wall by their own means, while others were reunited with family and friends who had remained on the other side of the wall.

The fall of the Berlin Wall was loaded with symbolism, since it meant the definitive eradication of the ruling communist regime in the GDR and, in general, of communism in Eastern Europe .

The fall of the wall decisively promoted certain changes in the ideological, political and economic direction, not only of an already reunified Germany but of many European countries.

On the other hand, the fall of the wall allowed the reduction of military tension in the Berlin area.

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How long did the berlin wall stand?

The Berlin Wall divided the city into two parts for 28 years. Learn about the details of its construction, fall, and history, and discover where to see the remains of what became a symbol of the Cold War.

The fall of the wall was motivated by the opening of borders between Austria and Hungary in May 1989 , as more and more Germans traveled to Hungary to seek asylum in the different embassies of the Federal Republic of Germany. This fact led to huge demonstrations on Alexanderplatz that led to the GDR government affirming on November 9, 1989 that the passage to the west was allowed .

That same day, thousands of people crowded the checkpoints to cross to the other side and no one could stop them , so there was a mass exodus.

The next day, the first breaches were made in the wall and the countdown to the end of his days began.

Once released, families and friends were able to see each other again after 28 years of forced separation.

Causes and consequences of the fall of the Berlin Wall

Causes

There were several causes of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Among them is the great economic decline of the GDR during the 1980s , when Soviet aid waned and the communist world in Eastern Europe was in crisis.

In addition, in recent months mobility requests had been raised between the two parts of the city, prompting the communist government of the GDR to restrict travel permits.

The economic crisis followed with massive protests against the government . The new migratory measures generated a great controversy and started an unprecedented exodus towards the borders of Hungary and Austria. On the other hand, requests for admission to various embassies in West Berlin multiplied.

The massive demonstrations moved to the vicinity of the Berlin Wall and access points that were restricted. All these elements germinated the idea of ​​freedom in the population and the renewal of its regime, which led to the decision by the government to allow passage to the west.

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Consequences

Some of the consequences generated by the fall of Berlin are the following:

• From a political point of view, it allowed the unification of Germany into a single republic, as it was before the Second World War and as it remains today.
• From a geopolitical point of view, it contributed to the end of the Cold War period .
• From an economic point of view, a process of privatization of state companies in the GDR began and many subsidies were generated to alleviate the weaknesses of the economy and the standard of living of Germans living in the GDR . This was a difficult transitional period for the economy of the nascent reunified republic, whose unemployment rate rose and whose GDP fell significantly.
• From a military point of view, spending in this area decreased considerably  with the departure of foreign armies and military representations in Germany.
• From the international point of view, this fact prompted political and economic changes in the USSR that marked the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union .