The Berlin Wall fell mainly because of a combination of political, economic, and social factors culminating in November 1989. Key reasons include:
- The increasing dissatisfaction and protests by East Germans demanding greater political freedoms and the ability to travel freely.
- The reforms introduced by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, including glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring), which weakened Soviet control over Eastern Europe and encouraged change.
- A famous bureaucratic accident on November 9, 1989, when East German spokesperson Günter Schabowski mistakenly announced that East Germans could cross the border immediately. This led to large crowds gathering at the Wall.
- Border guards were unprepared and, facing overwhelming numbers and no clear orders, opened the gates, allowing free passage to West Berliners.
- The Wall came down in a wave of peaceful protests and a broader collapse of communist regimes across Eastern Europe.
These factors combined to bring an end to the division of Berlin and symbolize the fall of the Iron Curtain, paving the way for German reunification and the end of Cold War divisions.
