http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC8sfjkvRDQ

Thank You, Mr. Gorbachev!

Watch this inspiring story from Christine and what her life was before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall.  She expresses heartfelt gratitude to Mikhail Gorbachev for affecting change and enabling her to live a free life.  Perhaps the best thing about freedom for Christine, was that she now had the ability to live and act on her dreams. In 2014, she fulfilled one of her life dreams and participated in The New York City Marathon. “Thank you, Mr. Gorbachev!”

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Moving Story about Life After the Berlin Wall appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP-fiR0psYw

David Hasselhoff recalls his emotional performance of “Looking for Freedom” as he was dressed in motion lights, singing atop of the rubble of the Berlin Wall. The performance took place on New Year’s Eve in 1989 after the wall had been partially taken down. The footage of his performance became one of the viral videos in the late ’90s when it was rediscovered.

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David Hasselhoff’s recalls his Performance on Berlin Wall appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61w9Tqzxpfw

Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, is interviewed about his perspective on the Cold War period in which Germany was divided into two independent countries with the famous Berlin Wall. Putin discusses his impressions on the wall and why it was destined to come down, claiming that a structure used to divide people can never really be anything more than temporary. He also comments on the decisions that the Soviet Union made to use East Germany as their pawn in the Cold War, as well as what he would have done differently if he was in a position to make state decisions during that time.

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Putin on East & West Germany’s Division & Unification appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei1HnWwzmNk

A significant moment in Cold War history: U.S. President Ronald Reagan on June 12, 1987 issued a challenge to Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down” the Berlin Wall, which the Communist state of East Germany erected in 1961 as a barrier between West Berlin and the socialist state of East Germany. Reagan’s challenge was for Gorbachev to dismantle the wall as a marker of his stated commitment to increase transparency and freedom in the Eastern Bloc and to urge an end to the arms race with the Soviets.

The post Berlin Wall
‘Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall!’ appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojm-S88DTTg

American news anchor David Brinkley recalls the night he was woken up in a Berlin hotel while the Russian communist police began building the Berlin Wall on August 13, 1961.

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David Brinkley on the Night the Berlin Wall Was Built appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61w9Tqzxpfw

President Vladimir Putin shares what emotion he felt when he first saw the Berlin Wall and describes his reaction to the reunification of East and West Germany. He also discusses Russia’s interactions with Germany and explains what information he received as President that altered his view on the outcome of the reunification.

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Vladimir Putin on the Fall of the Berlin Wall appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvaSd2PKrUY

Fifty years after the construction of the Berlin Wall began on August 13, 1961, people recall what life was like with the wall dividing Berlin, Germany in half. Hear about Joachim Rudolph’s daring escape and the incredible way that he met his future wife. Also hear how Klaus Koppen became separated from his fiancé and the struggle he went through to reunite with her. The wall came down on November 9, 1989.

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50 Years After the Berlin Wall appeared first on Witnify.

Author: Ben Nussbaum

The Berlin Wall is remembered as one of the 20th century’s great monstrosities: A literal wall that cut a city in half–separating families and friends, cutting off West Berlin from Communist East Berlin. It was the site of about 100 deaths (some estimates are much higher) as East Berliners tried to escape to freedom and were killed by their own military. The most famous victim was 18-year-old Peter Fechter, who was shot by the East German guards and allowed to slowly bleed to death in front of Western witnesses. The last person killed trying to cross the wall, Chris Gueffroy, was shot ten times in the chest by East German guards who were later given an award and a cash prize.

When the wall finally fell in November of 1989 it signaled the eventual reunification of Germany, the fall of communism, and a radical reshaping of world politics.

David Hasselhoff is best known for his role on as a lifeguard on Baywatch.

So why is David Hasselhoff connected to the history of the Berlin Wall?

Hasselhoff long had ambitions to be a singer. In the U.S., those ambitions amounted to very little – mainly a guest spot singing “Do You Love Me” on Kids Incorporated. In Germany, though, Hasselhoff had a huge hit in 1989 with “Looking for Freedom,” which topped the German charts for eight weeks. The song—a clichéd, forgettable rocker to American ears—become something of an anthem on both sides of the wall that summer as Germans felt the first rumblings of what would become the fall of communism.

Late in the summer, Hungary and Czechoslovakia loosened or dismantled travel restrictions, allowing East Germans an easy passage to the West. As the East German government responded by cracking down on all travel, massive demonstrations broke out, with chanters shouting, “We want out.” The wall fell on November 9.

On New Year’s Eve, Hasselhoff was in Berlin to perform the song standing on top of the wall, with East Germans and West Germans celebrating below. He was a hit with the crowds and the performance remains memorable today. The footage of Hasselhoff singing on the Berlin Wall became one of the viral videos in the late ’90s when it was rediscovered.

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[Blog] David Hasselhoff & the Berlin Wall appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNQan9pWdx4

A West Berlin man talks about daily life and the integration of East and West Germans in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the wall.

The post Berlin Wall
Fall of the Berlin Wall: ‘I Cried. It’s Quite Simple’ appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrtmbzvAjWk

Residents of East Germany and West Germany recall their feelings when the Berlin Wall came down in 1989.

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Germans Discuss Their Memories of That Moment in 1989 appeared first on Witnify.