Two revolutions that shook the world
A lot of people in the West do not understand the connection between the fall of the Berlin Wall and Euromaidan, expert says
As expected, the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which used to separate East and West Germany, inspired a lot of joy among Germans as well as citizens of the countries that got rid of the Soviet yoke. Indeed, this event affected the course of history on the European continent, a part of which was separated by the Iron Curtain, and the Berlin Wall was part of its practical implementation. Built by the Soviet government in 1961, it was meant to make the escape of Germans from East Berlin impossible. Besides, Germany was divided in two parts: the FRG and the GDR, and after the fall of the wall the two Germanies, capitalist and socialist, united into the Federal Republic of Germany.
It is clear why Germany’s government paid so much attention to the celebration of the 25th anniversary. This is how Angela Merkel recollected the events of early November 1989: “A few days prior to the fall of the wall, tension, fear, and excitement dominated in the city. Tanks had been standing since October 7 in the street where I lived. It is a true miracle that the fall of the wall was peaceful, without a single fired shot. By the way, at the time, the 35-year-old Angela Merkel worked as a researcher in East Berlin. According to Agence France Press, she and her friend went to a sauna every Thursday, and when she was coming back home on the night of November 9, 1989, which was a Thursday, she saw a crowd moving towards the wall. She followed the crowd and as a result was able to go to the other part of the city, where she celebrated the fall of the wall with complete strangers, and tasted her first canned beer. “Extreme joy was everywhere,” Merkel recollects. “I will never forget that night.”
On Sunday, Chancellor Merkel along with the Governing Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit laid flowers at the wall remains on Bernauer Strasse, and then visited a memorial service dedicated to the bold spirits who tried to escape from the GDR.
After the service at the Chapel of Reconciliation, Merkel and Wowereit opened an exhibition dedicated to the history of divided Germany at a renewed memorial complex on Bernauer Strasse. “The fall of the wall showed us that dreams may come true,” said the chancellor at the opening ceremony. “And we want to share this experience with our partners in the whole world.” Merkel said that she addressed this message in particular to “people in Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, and also many other regions, where freedom and human rights are threatened or even neglected.”
Besides Chancellor Merkel and Federal President Joachim Gauck, the event was attended by some legendary politicians of the past: former FRG foreign minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, former USSR president Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of trade union movement Solidarity Lech Walesa, and former Hungarian leader Miklos Nemeth. All of them were involved in the fall of the Berlin Wall in one or another way.
By the way, during his visit to Berlin the first Soviet president, on the one hand, refuted a myth which is harped on in Russia of alleged agreements between the West and the Soviet Union on the non-expansion of NATO; on the other hand, he urged the West to understand Putin and lift sanctions against Russia. A similar idea was also suggested by the former German chancellor Helmut Kohl. In his turn, Genscher emphasized the necessity to resume the activities of the NATO-Russia Council. Apparently, the two latter, former leading German politicians, pitifully failed to grasp the essence of the incumbent Russian regime, which started real aggression against a neighboring country.
The highlight of the anniversary celebrations in Berlin was a simultaneous release of 8,000 helium balloons at 7 p.m. on Sunday, which formed a 15-kilometers-long “lantern border” in the place where the concrete wall between East and West Berlin used to loom.
Of course, tourists could not feel the euphoria people experienced on the night of November 9, 1989, when the Berlin Wall finally fell after the 28 years of existence. But the Bauder brothers promised that the magic of their installation idea might help with that.
Tourists are encouraged to do some more serious thinking about the past by numerous museums and historical monuments in Berlin. On Bernauer Strasse, where a border between East and West Berlin lay 25 years ago, now the Berlin Wall memorial is situated. Along a two-kilometer section, visitors can see not only original fragments of the wall, but its modern replicas, for example, an authentic part of the wall with a guard tower and barbed wire.
COMMENTARY
Anderas UMLAND, German political analyst, Berlin:
“The fall of the Berlin Wall meant the end to living in a huge prison, at least this is the way it was interpreted by many East Germans. It should be remembered that the goal of this wall was primarily to stop East Germans from going to West Germany. For me personally it meant that all of a sudden I was unable to study at such places as West Berlin, Oxford, Cambridge, and Stanford, since they were located on ‘another planet’ at the time. The fall of the Berlin Wall also meant the end of East Germany in the first place. Also, many people were concerned, including me. What would happen to jobs, education, companies, and schools?
“However, soon it became clear that a temporary destabilization would be accompanied by full integration with West Germany and all numerous advantages it brought along, especially for students and retirees.
“I am not sure there is a direct connection between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, a lot of people in the West do not understand the connection between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Euromaidan Revolution. Many think that an internal Slavic conflict over territories is going on now, when in reality, Euromaidan was the beginning of the end to the neo-Soviet oligarchic regime.”
