How the Berlin Wall Accidentally Fell

Because Alex Gorodinski is coming to our class on Wednesday I though this would be an interesting tidbit of history to share: The fact that the Berlin Wall was accidentally opened due to one man's blunder in the last 10 minutes of a press conference.   

This article describes what happened with more details and facts, and I highly suggest you read it if you have time.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103001846.html 

In summary every Monday the large number of people  were showing up in Leipzig chanting "Wir sind das Volk!" meaning "We are the People". To deal with the rising unrest the German government attempted to define new travel regulations. As the article says "Though the rules suggested that there would be freedom, the fine print still included the national security exemptions that had always prevented East Germans from leaving. None of the people writing these new regulations took the obvious steps that would have been needed to open the border, such as consulting the Soviets or informing the border guards that such a move was coming. In short, there were no signs that authorities intended to open the wall on Nov. 9." Yet nevertheless it was opened on Nov. 9th because of Guenter Schabowski.

Schabowski held the press conference on this new legislation, but he had not attended any of the meetings or been involved in any of the discussions, moreover he was handed the notes on the new rules right before the press conference started. Even without reading the notes Schabowski managed to successfully talk his way through the press conference until the last 10 minutes. Then he let out the words "exit via border crossings" and "possible for every citizen" in the same long winded sentence.

All of a sudden the sleepy press conference room woke up. After being asked when this would take effect, Schabowski flipped though the notes and said the worst possible thing he could have said "As far as I am know, immediately." (watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8GzptqhT68)

That night those who had been watching illegally in east Germany quickly spread the news, and soon masses of people stood before the gates where the guards stood with no orders that crossing regulations had been changed. The guards refused to let anyone though without the proper papers. 

As the crowds swelled the guards and police were vastly outnumbered. Allegedly three old ladies with the proper paper to cross the wall came up and were allowed to enter. Though after opening the gates once the guarding forces were basically powerless to stop the masses of people, and on that night the wall was declared open.

The article ends saying the following:

"We like to think that all great events have great causes, and obviously long-term political, economic and military forces shaped the Cold War -- and how it ended. But momentous events are also a sort of ambush of history, when all those long-term pressures come together in an unexpected way. The opening of the Berlin Wall, largely unintentional, was such an event, an unsettling thought for those who see history as the result of strategy and planning by pivotal leaders."

That paragraph states the irony in this event better than I ever could. Under the circumstances in Germany the Berlin Wall would have eventually fallen, but not in the same manner which caused masses of overnight celebrations. I enjoy this story because it is a great example of just how easy it is for one person in 10 minutes to change history, even accidentally.