Topic > Essay on the collapse of the Berlin Wall - 1188

The collapse of the Berlin Wall changed Western Europe as we know it today. The Iron Curtain that had divided Europe had risen, and the once divided Germans had reunited under one common nation. The causal factors that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall were internal - communism imploded on itself -. Gorbachev attempted to reform communism through Glasnost and Perestroika, which were supposed to incorporate economic reforms and transparency, however, history shows that greater freedom is incompatible with communism. Dr. Schmidtke argued that structural deficiencies led together with poor economic growth which led to the collapse of communism in Europe and consequently the fall of the Berlin Wall. The alienation of intellectuals and the authoritarian nature of communist regimes further contributed to the failure of communism in Europe. However, the collapse of the Berlin Wall would not have happened if it were not for Gorbachev's Glasnost, Perestroika and the end of the Brezhnev Doctrine. Together with the German official Schabowski whose actions were the catalyst for the mass exodus of people from the GDR into West Germany. The collapse of the Berlin Wall would not have happened so quickly if Gorbachev had not attempted to implement communism reforms. Schmidtke further argued that the alienation of public intellectuals further led to the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was extremely difficult for opposition parties to form in the GDR, as dissidents were expelled or sought asylum in West Germany. Communist ideology is based on the Marxist principle of class struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Those in power were supposed to be the representatives of the masses; farmers, factory workers and industrial workers. Therefore, they believed that they did not need to be elected to power, as they had superior wisdom (sic). Communism was supposed to liberate the workers, but the citizens of the GDR felt distant from those of the GDR