Fall of the Berlin Wall – 20th Anniversary – links for 27 Oct 2009

Here are links for 27 October 2009 concerning that very important moment in German History (and world history), the fall of the Berlin Wall. The 20th anniversary of that momentous event is coming up on 09 November 2009.

If you missed them, consider reviewing other recent entries containing links regarding the anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. And don’t forget our special page dedicated wholly to Fall of the Berlin Wall Resources.

And now to today’s links:

  • One of the things I have noticed during the past few weeks of scouring the web for Fall of the Berlin Wall articles is that not much of the content is emanating from the U.S. national media, with the exception of the Wall Street Journal.  I have frequently, however, come across articles from the States that have a local angle.  I’ve ignored a lot of it, probably unjustly.  Today I will remedy that with something from the Jefferson City (Missouri) News Tribune, which announces Westminster College’s plans for 09 November.  Westminster has a special connection to the Iron Curtain that was symbolized by the Berlin Wall: it was there that Winston Churchill gave the famous “Iron Curtain” speech.
  • Staying with the local theme, we have the Pocono Record informing us that East Stroudsburg University is marking the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall by showing two films, one of which is “The Lives of Others”, the film we highlighted in yesterday’s links.
  • The BBC has an absolutely fantastic story to tell, that of Miklos Nemeth, who was Hungary’s prime minister in 1988.  As Prime Minister, Nemeth used his power over the country’s budget to almost single-handedly dismantle Hungary’s border with Austria, leading to an opening of the dike (so to speak) and the trickling out of several East Germans into Austria via Hungary.  The BBC story highlights the risks that Nemeth faced.

Today’s video is a bit of a mystery.  It’s a very well done production using the metaphor of the birth of a baby on November 9, 1989, to describe the birth of a new Europe.  It looks very much like it could have been produced as an official advertisement for 20th Anniversary celebrations, but the person who posted the video did not provide any information at all concerning its origin.  But that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable!

Until tomorrow’s links,

Bill Dawson
P.S. Speaking of Churchill, he’s featured in this collection of famous great speeches. Now I know it’s time for you to start thinking about holiday gifts for your history buff friends, and this DVD looks like a great choice! It includes speeches by Churchill (the famous wartime speeches), Roosevelt, John F and Robert F Kennedy, all the way up into more recent times with speeches from President Clinton and others.
 

About the Author

Bill Dawson is an American citizen who, having married an Austrian, lives and works in Vienna, Austria. A programmer by trade, he studied history as an undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley.