The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, marking a major turning point in the Cold War.
East Germany began constructing the wall in August 1961 to stop the large-scale movement of residents from East Berlin and East Germany into West Berlin. The barrier divided streets, neighborhoods, families, and transport links, and it became one of the clearest symbols of the political division of Europe.
On 9 November 1989, an announcement about new travel rules was interpreted as taking effect immediately. Crowds gathered at crossing points, and border guards eventually opened the barriers. People then crossed freely, while many others chipped away sections of the wall.
German reunification followed on 3 October 1990. The wall’s opening did not by itself end the Cold War, but it accelerated political changes across Eastern Europe and preceded the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.