It was a historic day in German history. On Nov. 9, 1989, a wall that divided the city of Berlin since 1961 was tumbled. A presentation to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall was held Nov. 9 at Clarion University. The program was organized by Dr. Eleanor ter Horst and the German Club.
“We have been planning since the beginning of the semester,” ter Horst said.
Two German Club students, Matt Barger and Cate Hippensteel, put on PowerPoint presentations. Hippensteel’s presentation included information about the construction of the wall.
The first wall was little more than a barbed-wire fence put up 24 hours after the decision to erect a wall between the former communist East Germany and West Germany.
Barger talked about the day the wall fell and the year that followed. Even though Nov. 9 is the day that is remembered as the day that the wall fell, the actual wall wasn’t torn down until June 13, 1990. The reunification of Germany and its current government occurred Oct. 3, 1990.
The changes in Germany since the fall of the wall were featured in a presentation by ter Horst. She spoke about “Wir sind ein volk,” which means “We are the people.” This slogan was used by protesters in East Germany during their “peaceful revolutions” the year the wall came down.
Two films were shown during the presentation, “Freedom Without Walls” and “The Miracle of Leipzig.”
In addition to uniting Germany, the fall of the Berlin Wall also signaled the end of the Cold War.
“It’s such an important part of history; it involves both Americans and Germans. It’s important to think about these things,” ter Horst said.