The Fall of the Berlin Wall, November 9, 1989

"The opening of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989 was the first in a series of stunning events that culminated in the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War" (Moss, 2010 p. 263).  The fall of the Berlin Wall was a crucial moment marking the end of the Soviet Union, the democratization of Russia, and the beginning of American global dominance. Arguably the most important event for the Global Economy in the twentieth century, the fall of the Berlin wall allowed for open trade between the Russia and the U.S., and also enabled the Western and Eastern European economies to merge together.


Economic Freedom of the World: An Interactive Map.  Gwartney, Hall & Lawson (2011) utilize an interactive map to view economic freedoms around the world respectively.  Viewed incrementally from 1990 to 1998 the user can clearly see the impact of the fall of the Soviet Union on the Global Economy, as well as the growing economic freedoms in Russia and Eastern and Central Europe (CEE).

The Fall of the Soviet Union and Reunification of Europe.  Drumea (2008) discusses the consequences of the fall of the Soviet Union: "almost all the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have submitted their applications to join the European Union (EU) and NATO".  As more nations join the EU the Global Economy continues to grow.   

 

Nov. 9, 1989: The Berlin Wall Falls.  The 1989 ABC news report broadcasting to viewers the amazing news that the Berlin Wall had fallen, allowing travel to and from East Berlin for the first time since the beginning of the Cold War.  Click here to link to the Youtube video.

Resources

Drumea, D. (2008, May 6). The fall of the soviet union and reunification of europe. Retrieved from http://www.thenewfederalist.eu/The-Fall-of-the-Soviet-Union-and-Reunification-of-Europe 

Gwartney, J., Hall, J., & Lawson, R. (2011). Economic freedom of the world: An interactive map. Retrieved from http://www.cato.org/pubs/efw/map/index.php

Jennings, P. (1989). Nov. 9, 1989: The berlin wall falls. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnCPdLlUgvo

Moss, G. D. (2010). Moving on, the american people since 1945. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.