The Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall may be one of the most well known monuments in the world. Its construction, and eventual fall were a symbol to the world of how separation in a country affects its people. In present day, some of the remaining parts of the wall are even being painted on. However, the most interesting article I found was this. It is about whether the fall of the Berlin wall was engineered by the GDR (German Democratic Republic), which was the east side of Germany, the socialist part. The controversy emerges from the statement made by Gunter Schabowski, a representative of the SED, when asked if the citizens of the GDR would be allowed to travel abroad and when it will take effect he said, "That is ... as far as I'm aware ... it is right now, immediately." Some of the press that was present at the conference took this as meaning the end of the Berlin Wall and it is interesting to see how one unclear statement can lead to so much controversy.