24 years ago today---maybe it seems like no big deal now, but back then? The earth moved.

[Diclotican]

54. DFW

DFW

It have been written tonnes of documents about what happened around the 0th november 1989 in East Germany - many experts, historians about the cold war - and of the end of that war - have in the two decades after the berlin wall tried and failed again and again to tell about why the people in eastern Berlin decided it was time to do it, as they did tearing down the Berlin wall and in a way unite the two german states again. But somehow I do believe for whatever great books they have written, have not been able to explain for us, why it happened.. They have been able to explain the "system" behind it all - but not WHY east germans, who for more than 40 year had been disciplined by an rather authorian regime - and who also had the fear of the STASI to make them think twice about doing anything to harm the STATE...

My personal opinion about it, after been reading more or less reputable books of the subjects - is that most eastern germans just got tired about the harassment they had experienced by the police and to a degree also the para-military police forces in eastern germany - in 1989, I believe the east german people lost their fear of the STASI, once and for all - it was also clear that the 100.000 soviet soldier who was standing on East German ground, as part of the cold war - and also as a warning to the east german State, about making any moves the russians was not willing to accept. Had their orders - to NOT interfering with east german internal affairs - as long as the eastern german people was not interfering or attacking russian soldiers or officers and offices.. And the east germans was not harming the russians at all - in fact for the most part they acted against the STATE of Eastern Germany - not against the russians - after all, germans had some experience with melding with russians.... And had no interest in involving them into something that was internal for eastern germany..
After the cold war ended, it come out that the government of east germany asked the Soviet army stationed in East Germany to help them quell the civil obedience - but was told by the soviet commander itself - that had his orders - and that was to not interfere with something that was not in their interest to interfering with - and also that they was welcome to call Kremlin - but was given more or less the same answer there.. As long as the eastern germany people was not trying to attack the russian forces - no help was given..

And by the end of 9th of November - East Germany kind of imploded on itself - not in a "Nuclear" form, but rather with a "wimp" as the people was just walking true the checkpoints - and tearing the dam wall down themself... It was no need for a war to tear down that wall after all - just Peopole who got tired about repression, and wanted to be free..

That is maybe something to learn from the past - even in the US - that if you really want to be free - you have to do it yourself - not letting "others" do it for you...

And even then - it was not until later, most east germans got the news - about the wall and the final days of the cold war - remember the information was controlled by the STATE in Eastern germany even after the fall of the wall - and it took days for people inside DDR to really got to know what have happened in Berlin that evening... This was before internet - and 24/7 newschannels...

But I do remember the optimism - and the belief that the eastern part of europe could be a part of a unified europe in no time.. The enormous differences between the eastern part of europe - and the western part of europe was less known than it have been since - and the terrible civil war in Yugoslavia was still not known... In a few years it was believed that the last part of the cold war could just disappear - now 24 years later - the ghost of the cold war - and even the end of WW2 is still very well part of our history - and the ghost from that age - is still in the background, in the shadows in many part of our continent... Europe is still very well in the Shadow of our own history..

Diclotican