4.4 End of the Cold War: PRESENTATION

• Geschiedenis
• Middelbare school
• mavo
• Leerjaar 3

The End of the Cold War

lesson 4.4

What changes did Gorbachev initiate?

What happened to the Berlin Wall?

important people 1989

Mikhail Gorbachev

leader

USSR

Ronald Reagan

president

USA

Helmut Kohl

chancellor

West Germany

Erich Honecker

dictator

East Germany

WEST

EAST

Living with the Wall

pictures from 1986

The fall of the Berlin Wall

November 9th,  1989

1985

• he Soviet Union has a new Leader:

Michael Gorbachev

He has different ideas:

• Arms race is too expensive / no more support for GDR.

• There needs to be more openness (glasnost).

• - There must be reforms (perestroika). For example, more private companies.

What's the situation?

• People of East Berlin and East Germany want more freedom and open the borders.

• ... but the East German government absolutely does not want this!
  

• Massive anti-government demonstrations in East Berlin

• Also during the 40th anniversary of the GDR

Gorbachev is guest of honor...

• ...but didn't come to celebrate, but to warn the leaders of East Germany:
• the Soviet Union will no longer help to put down demonstrations

Important: Gorbachev wanted to REFORM communism in the S.U. , not abolish.

There are demonstrations every night

• Pressure on the East German government mounts as the world press looks at the situation in East Berlin

Video: Tagesschau of November 9, 1989

with the press conference of Günter Schabowski

One of the party leaders of the GDR states, hesitatingly:

"We have decided that every GDR citizen can cross the border.

That applies - as far as I know - ... from now on...?"

German reunification

October 3rd, 1990