Momentous Day Twenty Years Ago in Berlin

CFR's Bernard Gwertzman and Serge Schmemann of the International Herald Tribune discuss their role in reporting the fall of the Berlin Wall twenty years ago and the enduring significance of that day.

Play Button Pause Button
0:00 0:00
x
Episode Guests
  • Serge Schmemann
    Member, New York Times Editorial Board
  • Bernard Gwertzman
    Visiting Fellow

Show Notes

On November 9, 1989, East Germany suddenly opened the Berlin Wall, which had been a symbol of oppression since it was erected in August 1961. CFR's Bernard Gwertzman, who was foreign editor of The New York Times at the time, and Serge Schmemann, then-chief Times correspondent in Germany, recalled their role reporting on the swirl of events set in motion by an East German bureaucratic snafu, and the deeper changes already at work in the Soviet bloc. Schmemann, capturing some of the confusion of November 9, said he did not realize the wall was actually opened until later that night when his East Berlin-based assistant walked into his hotel room in West Berlin.

The opening of the wall led to a series of events, including the uniting of the two Germanys on October 3, 1990, the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, and the breakup of the Soviet Union on Christmas Day, 1991. On German unification, Schmemann credits the political skills of German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. "[The division of Germany] was over and Kohl saw that clearly and I think the other major move was that Kohl managed to convince [U.S. President] George Bush, the first George Bush of course, of this as well." Schmemann also noted the crucial role of Mikhail Gorbachev, saying "nothing would have happened without the process that Gorbachev set loose in '85 when he became the head of the Soviet Union."

The communist bloc collapse led to the enlargement of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to include former Warsaw Pact countries and some of the former Soviet republics. And it has contributed to continued resentment in Russia toward the West, note Gwertzman and Schmemann. "The rapidity with which the East European countries and the Baltic countries were incorporated into both the EU and NATO is really something to be lauded because again there was no choice," said Schmemann. "These were countries that were clamoring, that were still afraid of Russia, that were still not reassured that Russia had also turned the corner even if the reforms had begun from within Russia."

Top Stories on CFR

United States

Each Friday, I look at what the presidential contenders are saying about foreign policy. This Week: Joe Biden doesn’t want one of America’s closest allies to buy a once iconic American company.

Immigration and Migration

Dara Lind, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss the record surge in migrants and asylum seekers crossing the U.S. southern border.

Center for Preventive Action

Every January, CFR’s annual Preventive Priorities Survey analyzes the conflicts most likely to occur in the year ahead and measures their potential impact. For the first time, the survey anticipates that this year, 2024, the United States will contend not only with a slew of global threats, but also a high risk of upheaval within its own borders. Is the country prepared for the eruption of election-related instability at home while wars continue to rage abroad?