Sarah Paine

Erich Honecker was already out of a job.

His ruinous policies of living off debt since he came to power in 1971 had just about wrecked East Germany.

So he was out.

And then less than two weeks later, the Council of Ministers resigns.

And then on November 8th, the Politburo resigns.

And then on the 9th, whatever's left of that government is issuing new travel regulations.

And you might wonder what's travel got to do with it.

I'll get there.

So in response to a question at a news conference, this guy, Gunter Schabowski, who was one of the remaining communists helping run the show, he gets asked a question, doesn't know the answer, and so he wings it.

And the question is, when do these travel regulations go into effect?

And he goes, immediately.

Well, crowds immediately started gathering at the six gates to the Berlin Wall.

And at one of them, the border guards decided that discretion was a better part of valor, and they opened the gate.

And East Germans poured into West Berlin.

And within the first week alone, over half of East Germany's population visited the West.

And within the month, 1% of the population emigrated to the West.

And like the Polish elections, this opening the gate was a pivotal decision.

A pivotal decision, whatever it is, there's no going back to the way it was.

And here's good old Gunther going, gosh, we hadn't a clue that opening the wall was the beginning of the end of East Germany.

Okay, better luck next time.