Berlin+Wall+Falls+November+9,+1989+(Group+3)

=Fall of the Berlin Wall=

==Overview== The Berlin wall was built by Russia on August 13, 1961. Originally the wall was built of cinder blocks, and was only 23 miles long. Eventually the wall would become 103 miles long and 13-15 feet tall and would encircle all of West Berlin. The wall was built in order to keep the East Germans who were under a communist rule from moving to West Berlin which was controlled by American forces and was free. From 1949 to 1961 2.5 million people had already fled from Germany. The wall stopped nearly 3,000 people a day from leaving Germany. The people of West Berlin believed the wall was a symbol of moral differences between a Democratic government and a communist government.

Main Point
Believing that if he would have the wall destroyed that the East Germans would just build it again President John F. Kennedy decided not to destroy the wall. He thought that if he would destroy the wall that it could lead to a deadly confrontation between American and Russian forces. Over the years since the walls creation their has been numerous visits by Presidents, Prime Ministers, and other Westerners. One of the famous visits by President Kennedy was on June 26, 1963, during the visit he protested, "'Two thousand years ago, the proudest boast was 'civis Romanus sum.' Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is, 'Ich bin ein Berliner.' "Many people made it over through lightly guarded areas along the boarder of West and East Germany. It is estimated that 5,000 people managed to escape over or under the wall since 1961. There were 4,000 people who tried and failed to escape from Germany. The people who were caught were thrown in prison. Around 191 people have either been shot or have triggered mines while trying to escape, those people were obviously killed.

Conclusion
When the Wall was opened for the first time on November 9, 1989 it marked the beginning of a new era for Germany and the end of the Cold War. With the wall now open people could cross over freely and see loved ones, many for the first time in years. The fall of the Berlin Wall was the beginning of the end of the Cold War. The Berlin Wall opening proved that Communism could be defeated and freedom could rein over Germany. The iron curtain was lifted wich had been in place since the end of WWII. With Russia on the losing end of the Cold War America has stepped up and now is the super power. With the fall of the Berlin Wall the United States viewed Russia entirely different from before. Today Russia is no longer a super power or a threat to the United States, the end of the Cold War brought reform to the Communist Russia. Russia is no longer a Communist country and the feud between Russia and the U.S. has died down. The Berlin Wall was almost completely destroyed and the destruction ended on October 3, 1990. There are still peaces remaining of the wall to remind us of our past.

References (2009-10.1.2.C)
"Camor in the East; The Berlin Wall: A Monument to the Cold War, Triumphs and Tragedies - NYTimes.com." //The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia//. 10 Nov. 1989. Web. 11 Jan. 2010. .