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East German official Günter Schabowski mistakenly announced the immediate opening of the inner German border, resulting in the fall of the Berlin Wall that night (border crossing pictured).
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Günter Schabowski
German politician
Günter Schabowski was a German politician who served as an official of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, the ruling party during most of the existence of East Germany. After climbing up the party ladder, he became the regime's unofficial spokesman. He gained worldwide fame…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Inner German border
Border separating East and West Germany, 1949–1990
The inner German border was the frontier between the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1990. De jure not including the similar but physically separate Berlin Wall, the border was an irregular L-shaped line, 1,381 kilometres (858 mi)…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Fall of the Berlin Wall
1989 destruction of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989 during the Peaceful Revolution, marking the beginning of the destruction of the figurative Iron Curtain, as East Berlin transit restrictions were overwhelmed and discarded. Sections of the wall were breached, and planned deconstruction…Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)