Fall of the Berlin Wall

On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall, which had divided East and West Berlin since 1961, was opened following mass protests and a mistaken announcement by East German officials. Crowds of East Germans crossed into the West, and citizens began dismantling the wall.

The event symbolized the collapse of the Iron Curtain and led to the reunification of Germany in 1990 and the end of the Cold War and the start of the fall of communism in Eastern and Central Europe. Crowds of East Germans crossed and climbed onto the wall, joined by West Germans on the other side in a celebratory atmosphere.