Collapse of the Berlin Wall: the Hidden Role of Soviet Union

November 9th, of 1989 is one of the most important dates in recent history. This day marks the dismantling of the wall that separated East and West Berlin. The Berlin wall was created by the Soviet Union who controlled East Berlin at the time. It was erected to put an end to the fleeing of East Berliners to the West. During the year of 1989, East Berlin seemed inescapable. Many were killed by guards at the wall. The last death occurred just ten days before the 9th of November. So what caused the fall of this great border? The answer to this question lies in a series of errors and mishaps from East German officials exacerbated by the tense atmosphere at the time.

A lack of trust and communication between officials and subordinates in the Soviet Union had a severe damper on their power. Unlike the protesters whom trusted each other. Their trust in each other was proven by an interrogation with a rebel known as Katrin Hatteter who claimed their pain and struggle brought them closer together. These differences were displayed by members of the Soviet Union not communicating well . In the end a lack of understanding and respect for their peers, ended up hurting the Soviet Union.

A main component in the collapse of this wall was the reforms Mikhail S Gorbachev introduced. During Gorbachev’s years in power, he introduced many reforms to make him more favorable in the eyes of the citizens while retaining power. The most controversial topic at the time was that of the refusal for many citizens to travel outside of East Berlin. However, this would soon be touched upon with his newest reform. This led to a botched announcement of reforms, by the current spokesperson Gunter Schabowski. Schabowski’s job was to read new reforms on the air in front of numerous journalists. He made several mistakes, especially with the announcement of travel for everyone being available. When asked when this was in effect by a journalist, Schabowski responded by saying immediately. This blunder gave many the false impression of the opening of the wall to journalists and even citizens.

The Soviet Union should have been able to clear up this miscommunication. Strangely, they opted not to announce the inaccuracy if the announcement, but used force. Armed guards at the wall received commands not to open the gate. Normally, this would have caused everyone to not even attempt to cross. What was the difference about this time was the confidence of the citizens. A month prior, protesters in Leipzig had such overwhelming numbers that the security forces had no choice but to back off. With this newfound confidence and trust shared between each other, protesters showed up in tens of thousands to the border that night. This led to another incident involving loyal officer named Harald Jaeger.

Jaeger was working at a crucial checkpoint and upon seeing thousand at the border called his superiors. He reported the crowds and his superiors did not believe him and simply ignored him. Infuriated, he chose to let the crowds out and started a reaction that went through all checkpoints that night. With Western sensibilities among protesting citizens, the wall was open. Like all strong empires and moments in history, it had to end.

Many misconceptions exist about the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. America had a minor part in the destruction of this iconic landmark. The destruction was caused by a domino effect of incompetence amongst East Berlin officials. There was a botched announcement that could have easily been prevented. With the right amount of trust and communication, this would never have happened. Protesters noticed weakness and exploited them. In the end, the Soviet Union ended up being its greatest enemy and the main cause of the destruction of their beloved wall.