German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who grew up in communist East Germany, joined Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other world leaders at the renowned Brandenberg Gate in Berlin to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a physical barrier between the democracies of the U.S. and Western Europe and the Soviet-dominated East.
For over two decades, the city of Berlin was divided between East and West. Families and friends were split apart by the wall and, though many Easterners tried to escape to the West, many didn't make it.
In this video, NewsHour correspondent Jeffrey Brown looks at where Germany stands today 20 years after the fall of the wall.
Quotes
"For me, it was one of the happiest moments of my life. Ladies and gentleman, it was an epic turn of an era. We know that today. The Germany, the Europe, indeed the world, which were divided into two blocs, were brought together." - Angela Merkel, German Chancellor
"This is the moment that the Cold War really ended, because, if you look at the rhetoric of presidents and others in the Free World during that period, they always said, the central issue that divides East and West is the division of Europe. Once you have that changed, that really led to the end of the Cold War. George Bush 41 always used the language, 'I want to see a Europe whole and free.'" - Michael Beschloss, historian
"The West Germans continued to live their lives. It was the East Germans who had to handle most of the changes. So, for 18 million East Germans, life became totally different after the wall came down 20 years ago. They had to change. They had to adapt. Everything was new for them. If you want to put it bluntly, the West Germans, we -- we paid for it, but we didn't really have to suffer that much." - Anna Engelke, NDR German Network
Warm Up Questions
1. What was the Cold War?
2. What is the difference between communism and democracy?
3. What was the Berlin Wall?
Discussion Questions
1. What did you learn from this video?
2. What would you like to learn more about?
3. What does the fall of the Berlin Wall symbolize?
4. How would a sudden division of your town or city affect families and friends? Along what lines might your community divide?
Additional Resources
