Topic: November 9, 1989: And The Wall Came Tumbling Down

[BlueAlphaZero]

Twenty-five years ago, the Berlin Wall--one of the most powerful symbols of the Cold War Era--fell after the East German government realized that it could no longer hold back the people who wanted to cross their borders and go to the West. It seemed inevitable in hindsight but at the time, many feared that that day would never come. When it did, it was a moment to remember.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/11218109/Berlin-Wall-We-watched-it-fall-with-joy-and-disbelief.html

After the Wall fell, however, it became clear that there was another wall that separated the Ossis (East Germans) and Wessis (West Germans) -- a wall that had been built by decades of separation and totally different sociopolitical rules. The mood went from joyful to somber in the days that followed.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/11216520/When-the-Berlin-Wall-came-down.html

But the West German government led by Helmut Kohl were determined to reunify their nation. Bonn welcomed the Ossis and worked--however slowly and painstakingly-to remove the wall in their minds and hearts so that they could become part of a new and united Germany. Their efforts were generally successful, although to this day there are those who were seemingly swept aside by the changes in Germany and the Berlin Wall inside the hearts and minds of those from the East still loom large.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/11202526/Meet-the-losers-from-the-fall-of-the-Berlin-Wall.html

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/divisions-persist-25-years-after-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall/article21489971/

And there are still others who would like to turn back the clock one way or another.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/andrew-nagorski-putin-tries-to-undo-the-tragedy-of-the-berlin-walls-fall-1415405064

The fall of the Berlin Wall--which some believed would still be standing after a hundred years--left a lasting impression on generations of Germans and all those around the world who witnessed it. There are other Walls that must still be demolished in order to fully realize the hope that sprang from the rubble of the Berlin Wall twenty-five years ago.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/06/-sp-fall-berlin-wall-what-it-meant-to-be-there