I'm old enough to have seen the Berlin Wall go up, and I never thought I'd see it fall. I sat on my couch and watched the live feed from Berlin of the wall being knocked down and had tears of joy going down my cheeks.
I remember being in 4th grade (long after the wall had fallen) but a classmates mother came for career day to speak to our class, she was in the US army and brought pieces of the Berlin wall with her and when she told us how we were looking and touching a true piece of world history and the emotions she had when telling us about the Berlin wall.. that day is what sparked the life long love of history I have today ❤
I remember my mother waking me up in the middle of the night telling me to watch the TV. The wall was falling and people were crying. It's a wild memory I have as a child.
Living in Berlin/Germany, I will be for ever grateful for what Michail Gorbachev did while he was in power. Experiencing freedom and liberty is invaluable. May he rest in peace 🙏
To say that it was only the fall of the Berlin Wall that triggered the collapse of the Soviet Union is oversimplified. The first event that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union was the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev. His policies, aimed at trying to make the Soviet Union democratic, by trying to improve Communism by turning the policy of the Communist Party towards the Communist ideal, the one where everybody works towards greater good, where the nation as a whole would live in prosperity, people would have freedom of speech and peace. Additionally, not only did it stop participating in the Arms Race, but it wasn't going to prop up Satellite States any more. While intended to make Communism more popular, it instead, led to those who were dissatisfied with the Communist system to vote enmass for Independence. As a result, the breakup of the Soviet Union really began with Lithuania declaring Independence in 1990. Gorbachev's reaction to this was telling, as he didn't send the military to forcibly take over Lithuania once again, instead implemented an economic embargo. Inadvertently, the last ditch attempt to reverse Gorbachev's policies, with the failed coup of August 1991, led to the remaining nations in the USSR declaring Independence one after the other, beginning with Estonia in the same month as the Coup attempt and ending with Russia and Kazakhstan in December that same year. Gorbachev held a short speech announcing his resignation, not only expressing sorrow at the fall of the Soviet Union, but frustration at past mistakes and hope for a more peaceful world.
Poland was first soviet satelite state to have free election. It took place on 4th of june 1989 while the fall of the Berlin Wall took place in November.
@@Blanka1100 exactly, and Hungary also had its revolution before East Germany (indeed, it was a reaction to Hungary removing their electrified barbed wire fence on its border with Austria, opening a relatively safe path for East Germans that wanted to leave for the West to do so and the regime of Erich Honeke reacted in an ultimately self-destructive manner, first by closing all its borders, even to other Communist States, and then allowing those who fled to the West German Embassy in Prague to transit through East Germany to the West)
@@SiVlog1989 It was NOT possible to reform the Stalinist bureaucracy and Stalin's followers. Gorbachev rose in the bureaucracy because Gorbachev as a child had written the most slavish praise of Stalin as the leader. A leader who had murdered all of Lenin's closet comrades. Stalin the butcher the leader of defeated revolutions and Gorbachev could not overcome what was rotten by restructuring the bureaucracy. Instead what happened is they adopted the neo liberal theories of Milton Freedman who advised on how to bring back capitalism and markets to unleash capitalist prosperity. Instead the only thing unleashed were depression like conditions and new laws making private ownership of property for use in exploitation the law of the land. It was they who became the new corrupt oligarchy and instituted shock therapy.
Incorrect. Soviet Union was already collapsing 10 years before Gorbachev. It failed because of unsustainable free healthcare for too many people, is what bankrupted the idiotic Soviet system.
Günter Schabowski wasn't a Sovjet Minister, but a German / DDR politician born in Berlin. 24.29 min. It was a wonderful evening, November 9th, it made me happy for all those people in the DDR. Free at last.
Tell it to the US military, please. I'm sure the population of Yemen, Palestine, Libanon, Iraq, Siria, Vietnam, Corea, all agree with that too, and expect apologies.
@@truesosense7722 nothing? Really? Do you know anything about world history outside US? Because US directly caused the death os thousands worldwide, causing Dictatorships in Latin America, Iran, and many other countries...
Gorbachov was type of person " giver not taker". He wanted the best for Soviet Union. Unfortunately his social democracy approach brought peace but also chaos and destruction in his country. USSR wasn't ready for democracy because they aren't Czechs, Poland or Hungarians. Russians didn't have civilian society through history.
Thatcher and Reagan left the man out to dry. Gorbachev tried to open up Russia to the west and he as deserted by the west. A great opportunity was missed and now we have Putin to deal with. Well done Maggie and Ron.
Who would had thought 34 years later after he gave that speech in Heroes Square in Budapest in 1989 that Viktor Orbán would reverse to authoritarian rule. This should be a lesson for all of us never to take Freedom and Human Rights for granted. In any moment they can be taken away if we are not careful. Great series, still relevant today
Lmao he was against Marxist and communist ideologies then and he still is today. Just because you moved to the other side of the Berlin wall doesn't mean he did.😂
WTH are you even talking about? just because he doesnt want to take part in this suicidal conquest against Russia and sees whats really happening in Ukraine, doesnt mean hes "reverted to authoritarian rule". Look in a mirror at the actions of the West. Everyone who grew up in the west during the cold war is terrified of whats happening to us, how roles have shifted, how real totalitarian methods are being used!
The world is so fragile. It's resilient at the same time, but it's probably more fragile than the average person realizes. We've came a long way, but still got a long way to go
@@obtuseangler768 might be optimistic but I think we'll get there. We've consistently throughout history gotten more and more civilized. We've had the ability to effectively end life on earth as we know it for nearly a century. And despite our differences and a few close calls we haven't done it yet. I think nuclear war is probably one of the greatest threats to civilization but the more time that goes by it's probably less and less likely that happens. The world is slowly but surely moving towards liberal democracy. And I think once the autocracies are gone that will also greatly reduce those chances. In the grand scheme of things a couple hundred years ain't nothing. Few hundred years ago we were enslaving each other and depriving certain parts of society of equal rights and democracy was just a pipe dream. I gotta think in 2 or 300 more we'll be even more fair and civilized. I hope lol.
Yeah, it’s too bad and sad at the same time, that we have been going backwards for the last three decades, and we are about to hit major global depression bc of the world government elitists
The hubris of thinking that our world is no longer under threat presented here is amazing. We are still under the same nuclear threat, maybe even worse.
The world isnt under threat. Our species and civilization is under threat. If you removed all the humans from the earth in 10,000 years the only sign that we were here would be Mt. Rushmore. The world is in no danger, we are.
Ceaușescu mobilized supporters in a meeting in Bucharest meant to reminisce of his peak popularity, the denouncing of the crushing of the Prague Spring, on 21 of August 1968. He had a few days earlier returned from his last political visit, to Tehran. Instead, a large boom was heard in the square, and then people booed him. That day, him and Elena flew via chopper, but they were stopped and arrested
He was stupid enough, he should learn from his friend "Deng Xiaoping" of the Chinese communist party. Deng hold his guns tight at least two years and slowly moving away from emergency curfew .
@@АтмосфераиКислота He let that dying corpse to be burried. It was all stincking. It was his enemy that unburried it, put some strings on it and pretended it was alive.
Gorbachev was the closet democratic Russian leader in Russian history. He was willing to make compromises to his own Soviet Republics who wanted more autonomy, and he had a hands off approach to his Eastern European political subjects (which costed him by 1988).
i went from Ireland to live in Berlin in 1984, in 85 i moved from west Berlin to east berlin,i lived through the demos against communist rule.went thru the checkpoint the first night the border was opened,Bornholmer Brucke,bridge,district Pankow,was on the wall with hammer and chisel.lived there till 2019,returned home to ireland only to see drug gangs running the island,drug dealers on every street,politicians corrupt,the police useless,Ireland is under siege,at least in communist east Berlin,we had no drug cartels.
My friend was in Germany in 1989. He came back to the states about a month before the wall came down. He was pretty disappointed to miss that event in history.
I remember these things, but I was in the 1st grade, 2nd grade here in the US. I wasn't paying very close attention. It's nice to revisit it as an adult with a better understanding of it all, the significance of events.
Ohne thing that should be corrected is that Schabowski wasn’t a Soviet minister but an East German one. The draft from which he read was already approved by the Politbüro, but was marked not to get into effect until the next day, a line which he thankfully overread
It's not achivable from 'above' to reconcile with and forget the past without truly facing its crimes. Gorbachev had to experience it when his good intensions brought about events that turned that part of the world into a direction entirely different from what he intended. People did not judge led by dry common sense but driven by a lot of emotions. It was clear that no good will but merely the military presence of the Soviets were keeping the Eastern Block together. That is, brutal force. Although by then, this force was smiling at the people, trying to win their hearts. And the people said NO. Greetings from Hungary and thank you for the video.
I think I get what you are saying. One reason Gorbachev failed was because he was not seen as a good Russian for being "honest". In the Russian culture if someone designs a new missile from scratch that is awesome - meh no big deal. Probably won't get noticed. And probably won't get built. But if a Russian were to steal the plans of such a missile from one of the NATO countries, then he is made a hero and the missile will get built. That's just the culture of Russia, and has been that way for hundreds of years. Russia doesn't design anything "new". They steal a design of whatever they need from one of its enemies. Check out my comment for even more detail about that and what America did during the cold war. Finally. take care (Just like Russians don't need no edukation or training to be great soldiers and military leaders. Russian men only need Russian Vodka to be great soldier. lol. and it's so funny because it's 100% true of the Russian perspective.)
Whats scary is what was the happiness and glory about this moment in history has now flipped around you see a falling west and a growing east. History does always comes back to haunt.
Yeah I’m 48 years old and I remember that day on the news as a child I remember not understanding what I was seeing until later in age the world and politics go hand over hand it’s crazy how things work and end up unfolding
Like many of us, I remember all this.....its ashame where things are today with Russia. Infact things are much much worse than they were during the Cold War....
Thought : and it just came to me , maybe Gorbachev was sacked then , and derided at home now , simply , Gorbachev was on another level , at order of magnitude , Gorbachev represented an Even Horizon abroad and within his own country . For this reason , his countrymen , trembled at fear with everything he represented . He was in fact greater as an individual than the current state of Soviet Socialism Socialism , for this reason , few could grasp his vision and brilliance. Side note : Gorbachev’s rise and fall is 100% the definition of the FACT , the Socialism , then , and just the same and likely even worse , become a doctrine that only brings heart break and destruction of the human mind body and soul. God Bless Gorbachev , no doubt , one of Gods most favorite children.
Высмеивают ? Его ненавидят. Горбачев ужаснее гитлера, каждая семья по всему СССР пострадала от этого кровавого упыря. Сталина вызвали в ад,чтобы он лично мучил горбачева.
Bit h boy, read about tito and his socialism. Gorbachev was an idiot changing systems too fast towards capitalism causing a decade of suffering for russia and all other nations from the soviet block. Every guy that causes suffering for millions of people should be sacked and punished.
5:00 IMF structural adjustment programs had a lot to do with what happened in Romania. Nikolai refused to privatization of state owned assets because he would have to sell them off to the G7 Countries and refused to take on new loans. So instead he paid off the IMF debts at a huge human cost to Romanians.
Not rly ukraine had elections since 90' also and they had i believe 2 pro western leaders.. then the leader who campaigned with promises of further westernization changed his mind and people replaced him..
There is a piece of THE WALL with a painting of Reagan on it, in the Devore area, of San Bernardino, just off the 215. It stands 12.5 feet high, and is in Ronald Reagan park. Going North, get off at Palm, go right to Irvington, turn left, down a little ways on left.
The destalinization policy of glasnost and perestroika caused the dissolution of the Soviet Union because the Soviet communist party did not have visionary figures like the Chinese communist party which opened itself in 1978
I remember watching the wall go dowm on tv as a 13 year old, of course i didnt recognize the signifigance of it at the time but it was absolutly huge! But it seems that we have lost years of good relations because of putin but maybe someday we will get another gorbachev
Indeed, it is beneficial to you... Imagine that under one "president" your country will fall to pieces, you will lose your former influence in the world, your economy will be destroyed, the country will plunge into poverty and hunger, oligarchs will privatize people's (state) property and houses, and banditry will continue everywhere for 10 years. years, then you'll (probably) be able to understand what we've been through... Soviet people wanted changes and a better life, looked to the West and thought that life would get better under capitalism, but in the end your whole world turned out to be plastic and an empty wrapper. America lives by exploiting the countries of the periphery, pumping resources out of them in exchange for green papers. The West does not understand what the USSR is, and is unlikely to understand... It is easier for you to believe in tales about the Gulag, imposing stereotypes based on dubious facts on us... Gorbachev and our entire leadership (to spite the people) destroyed not only the country, but also the entire civilization... The plastic world has won! (E. Letov)
@@jenniferagey8867I was 7. My parents told me I was watching HUGE historical events unfold in my lifetime. I watched the wall fall with no context of how important that was.
Perfect episodes, I’ve witnessed events shown here, however it’s not as simple as it looks like. There were thousands of secret russian agents across Eastern Europe and after 1990 majority of them went into business, banking and by keeping files- had an influence over political decisions.
I had mixed feelings about the wall coming down. I wanted the people in the East to have the freedom to live where they wanted, but by the same token I wanted the country to remain divided. There has to be permanent consequences for starting two world wars and murdering tens of millions of people. Germany should never be in a position to start another war.
@@user-nm8kh4wi1yThe Germans had a right if they want to be one country again (and I also hope for a Korean and Irish reunifications too). And this guy needs to be reminded that the last time someone actually tried to prevent German unification, they ended up being utterly humiliated (cough.. France 1870… cough) and the same thing could have happened to Thatcher. This guy is just jealous of the fact that Germany is now a powerful and dominant European power and leader of the free world. I bet this guy also hated the fact that Germany won the football world cup that same year of reunification in 1990 (including breaking England's hearts in the semifinals).
From the peak of Soviet power (in the 1950s? 1960s?) until now, Russia has become so weak and fragile by its own doing. Between the collapse of the USSR and the disastrous Putin regime, Russia is a shell of what it used to be. I hope that someday Russia can become a legitimate democracy and part of the modern world. Most of the breakaway states have done it, with the beautiful Baltic states as the exemplars. 🇪🇪🇱🇻🇱🇹
Beautiful Baltic countries? If you move away from the center of Tallinn, you will see an ordinary Russian suburb (but with Estonians). The Baltic states are the worst example of "prosperity". The most prosperous country of the former USSR is Belarus, they even continue to develop production facilities.
Shell? The world is sanctioning russia and they still continue, infact their economy is rising. You ate too much propaganda. Well facebook and youtube are owned by usa in the end...
I think the serbs aren't honest about their past (something about cultural differences and massacres) but the balkans are supposed to be nice ^^ Only Montenegro is very expensive compared to it's neighbours, like eastern european Dubai or so.
@@jackhardy3905 It would have been impossible for a weak leader to convince a country of millions of people on the revolutionary concepts of Perestroika and Glasnost
He was a traitor, a self-righteous debuted fool. Endless thousands of people whose lives he has ruined along with the ruined country are on his conscience.
I was living in Finland when the Baltic States rose up against the USSR. It was wild watching TV news broadcasting images of Soviet tanks marauding through the streets of Tallinn, our close neighbor across the Baltic Sea.
loved the look on the dictator of Romania's wife's face as hes giving that speech on the balcony to a group of dissenters. She could see what was coming at that moment.
George Herbert Walker Bush. I'm surprised he was voted in for one-term as POTUS. But I thought Mikhail Gorbachev was a good leader of the USSR. And had certain visions for the Soviet Union's public or society was never ready for and show'd to much weakness during a time the public wanted "strength" from him. Then we got Boris Yeltsin for the crazy Russian 1990's, and now are uber favorite mention Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
Chernobyl and how terribly it was handled, and all the incompetence coming to light, was the final nail in the USSR's coffin. No one will ever convince me otherwise.
President Regan , President Bush , Premier Gorbachev , three men , three statesman , true purveyors of Global Peace . Three Men , Three Leaders whose gravitas and command of geopolitical compromise, has to date , and very unfortunate , none elected since carried , carry themselves the way these Three Leaders presented. “Ubi Sunt” where are they now.
I think most people would struggle to associate any US president with global peace (Bush Jnr, and Sr, Reagan all included)! I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that Trump is the only president in living memory who hasn't instigated a war somewhere.
@@grantchallinor5263 Well then you are a bigot. They’re going to associate Soviet leaders with peace? Come on man. You also have to include the pope on that list.
As a Cold War veteran (84-88) and then served again from 92-97, I feel the world was "better" when the Curtain was up. We all knew the conquences of pushing the red button. It kept everything in cheque. Now,everyone has Napoleon syndrome and want to be the big fish in the small pond. Everyone needs to read and then reread the history of the last 1000 years and get a clue.
Gorbachev is a peaceful man a sincere man of peace just like Reagan. There was trust between them hence ending the Cold War! The disintegration of the Soviet Union is not a defeat for Russia and not even a win for USA! But a win for freedom for so many nations opposed to communism! In fact, even Russia is not purely on communism but on a one man rule against any political opponents.
4:56 Wait, wait, wait, wait... Romania, the "once richest country in central Europe"? I don't know anything about it. The richest in what? Be specific, please. From what I know, Romania in the past used to be more like: 1) Traditional and conservative, even superstitious, especially in the countryside. Also people lived pretty simple lives there. 2) Rich in natural diversity and biotopes. That is true. 3) Ferocious against foreign attackers. I definitely do not know everything about Romania, but I have never heard of it as the "richest country in central Europe". Please, specify the period and details. Also: In central Europe? I mean CENTRAL Europe? Are you sure that the Romanian geographical position is generally considered to be in the central region of Europe? "Central Europe" is usually considered to be: Poland, Slovakia, the Czech republic, Austria, Hungary, sometimes Germany.
Agreed, RO is technically Eastern Europe. Romania is a resource rich nation which was pivotal in WWI or II so much that the USA launched covert strike on oil refinery in Romania
Good story. Ironically enough the world is no more safer nowadays than it had been at the time of the cold war. Mutual and numerous conflicts in Ukraine 🇺🇦, Israel 🇮🇱. Potentially in Taiwan 🇹🇼 Armenia 🇦🇲 and you name it. The world is certainly no better place today.
Correction: The USSR dis not collapse, they Agreed to disolve the Warsaw pact as they understood for peace, at that time with Nato with existing members & boundries, both parties were no longer at threat to each another.
I was 19 yrs old in 1989 and my whole family watching live news telecast of Berlin wall fall down and i thought there will be war between Soviet block and Western block and it's going to be end of the world .. And next day we saw the news chaos in East Berlin.. It's a frightening movement
I think that the US missed a great chance to draw Russia into the Western sphere of influence after the end of the Cold War, making it a strategic ally for the period afterward, as was done to Japan and Germany after the end of World War II. : With the Russian economy still in shambles, it would have been time to create a free market area between OSCE countries and offer the Russians dollars to use as foreign exchange reserves in exchange for every nuclear warhead inherited from the Soviet arsenal that they disposed of , as a kind of "Second Marshall Plan". This would have been fundamental to guarantee a faster, safer and more successful transition process towards democracy and the market economy, also avoiding any risk of backsliding. In return, the Russians would have to confront their dark past and promote their country's membership of NATO. The next step would be to reverse the "triangular diplomacy" initiated by Rihard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, forming an alliance with Russia to contain the strengthening of China. If such measures had been taken, the West would not now be feeling so cornered!
Russia NEEDS to exist to counter the terrorist state of usa and its influence and also to keep china at bay. The best path is isolating or dismantling usa and bringing russia into eu.
I'm old enough to have seen the Berlin Wall go up, and I never thought I'd see it fall. I sat on my couch and watched the live feed from Berlin of the wall being knocked down and had tears of joy going down my cheeks.
💛💙 me too friend . Pro-Democracy alll the way - then & now in June 2023 - proves that love wins.
I remember being in 4th grade (long after the wall had fallen) but a classmates mother came for career day to speak to our class, she was in the US army and brought pieces of the Berlin wall with her and when she told us how we were looking and touching a true piece of world history and the emotions she had when telling us about the Berlin wall.. that day is what sparked the life long love of history I have today ❤
I remember watching the wall come down and my mom felt the same as you. She never believed it would come down. She was in shock and crying.
@@shelbypatterson9140and now people have pieces of the towers to share
@@malibu13203 This and that, that and this.
I remember my mother waking me up in the middle of the night telling me to watch the TV. The wall was falling and people were crying. It's a wild memory I have as a child.
This has to be the best series I have seen regarding this era. Thanks for the upload
I love watching them, Got to be on a PC with ublock though cause they flood them with ads if the views are good.
Exactly the right documentary for today, the 2nd part may come soon
I believe that's why putins been busy trying to retake all those little satellite countries back. He wants to restore the soviet union.
I was 12 years old in 1989 and remember this vividly, it was a wonderful time. This was what the world was like before Twitter and Facebook.
Or before tiktok.
Gen X.
The Best.
(Except for the Greatest Generation 1920-1950)
GEN X.
THE 2ND BEST.
I was 14 and I have tears in my eyes when Berlin wall fell down
We were still in perpetual dread of nuclear annihilation
Living in Berlin/Germany, I will be for ever grateful for what Michail Gorbachev did while he was in power. Experiencing freedom and liberty is invaluable. May he rest in peace 🙏
Of course.
@wajahatshafi6626 Quit yapping, vatnik. Your completely schizophrenic whataboutism doesn't fly with Westerners.
@wajahatshafi6626If us not invaded europe history would be different
@wajahatshafi6626and 😢
But your relatives were Nazis!
To say that it was only the fall of the Berlin Wall that triggered the collapse of the Soviet Union is oversimplified. The first event that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union was the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev. His policies, aimed at trying to make the Soviet Union democratic, by trying to improve Communism by turning the policy of the Communist Party towards the Communist ideal, the one where everybody works towards greater good, where the nation as a whole would live in prosperity, people would have freedom of speech and peace. Additionally, not only did it stop participating in the Arms Race, but it wasn't going to prop up Satellite States any more.
While intended to make Communism more popular, it instead, led to those who were dissatisfied with the Communist system to vote enmass for Independence. As a result, the breakup of the Soviet Union really began with Lithuania declaring Independence in 1990. Gorbachev's reaction to this was telling, as he didn't send the military to forcibly take over Lithuania once again, instead implemented an economic embargo. Inadvertently, the last ditch attempt to reverse Gorbachev's policies, with the failed coup of August 1991, led to the remaining nations in the USSR declaring Independence one after the other, beginning with Estonia in the same month as the Coup attempt and ending with Russia and Kazakhstan in December that same year.
Gorbachev held a short speech announcing his resignation, not only expressing sorrow at the fall of the Soviet Union, but frustration at past mistakes and hope for a more peaceful world.
Poland was first soviet satelite state to have free election. It took place on 4th of june 1989 while the fall of the Berlin Wall took place in November.
@@Blanka1100 exactly, and Hungary also had its revolution before East Germany (indeed, it was a reaction to Hungary removing their electrified barbed wire fence on its border with Austria, opening a relatively safe path for East Germans that wanted to leave for the West to do so and the regime of Erich Honeke reacted in an ultimately self-destructive manner, first by closing all its borders, even to other Communist States, and then allowing those who fled to the West German Embassy in Prague to transit through East Germany to the West)
Any Communist government will fail always they’re headed by humans and greed is too big of a temptation to resist There are no exceptions
@@SiVlog1989 It was NOT possible to reform the Stalinist bureaucracy and Stalin's followers. Gorbachev rose in the bureaucracy because Gorbachev as a child had written the most slavish praise of Stalin as the leader. A leader who had murdered all of Lenin's closet comrades. Stalin the butcher the leader of defeated revolutions and Gorbachev could not overcome what was rotten by restructuring the bureaucracy. Instead what happened is they adopted the neo liberal theories of Milton Freedman who advised on how to bring back capitalism and markets to unleash capitalist prosperity. Instead the only thing unleashed were depression like conditions and new laws making private ownership of property for use in exploitation the law of the land. It was they who became the new corrupt oligarchy and instituted shock therapy.
Incorrect. Soviet Union was already collapsing 10 years before Gorbachev. It failed because of unsustainable free healthcare for too many people, is what bankrupted the idiotic Soviet system.
Günter Schabowski wasn't a Sovjet Minister, but a German / DDR politician born in Berlin. 24.29 min. It was a wonderful evening, November 9th, it made me happy for all those people in the DDR. Free at last.
THIS IS GREAT WORK… A DOCUMENTARY THAT EVERYONE TODAY SHOULD WATCH AND SEE THAT WAR AND OPPRESSION IS NOT THE ANSWER
Couldn't agree more
Tell it to the US military, please. I'm sure the population of Yemen, Palestine, Libanon, Iraq, Siria, Vietnam, Corea, all agree with that too, and expect apologies.
@@Alehzinhah The US did nothing wrong compared to russia
@@truesosense7722 nothing? Really? Do you know anything about world history outside US? Because US directly caused the death os thousands worldwide, causing Dictatorships in Latin America, Iran, and many other countries...
Tell it to Hiroshima and Nagasaki at first @@truesosense7722
Superb documentary touch on history of the late 80s!
Gorbachov was type of person " giver not taker". He wanted the best for Soviet Union. Unfortunately his social democracy approach brought peace but also chaos and destruction in his country. USSR wasn't ready for democracy because they aren't Czechs, Poland or Hungarians. Russians didn't have civilian society through history.
Who are you ?
Thatcher and Reagan left the man out to dry. Gorbachev tried to open up Russia to the west and he as deserted by the west. A great opportunity was missed and now we have Putin to deal with. Well done Maggie and Ron.
I know reagan was cool with Gorbachev. What is this "out to dry" stuff?
I know reagan was cool with Gorbachev. What is this "out to dry" stuff?
I love the videos about MAD World… keep going with this SAGA….. the best you’ve ever done…!! 👑🤙🏻🙌🏻
Who would had thought 34 years later after he gave that speech in Heroes Square in Budapest in 1989 that Viktor Orbán would reverse to authoritarian rule. This should be a lesson for all of us never to take Freedom and Human Rights for granted. In any moment they can be taken away if we are not careful.
Great series, still relevant today
Lmao he was against Marxist and communist ideologies then and he still is today. Just because you moved to the other side of the Berlin wall doesn't mean he did.😂
@@DaculaboyHe is not a leftist dictator
WTH are you even talking about? just because he doesnt want to take part in this suicidal conquest against Russia and sees whats really happening in Ukraine, doesnt mean hes "reverted to authoritarian rule".
Look in a mirror at the actions of the West. Everyone who grew up in the west during the cold war is terrified of whats happening to us, how roles have shifted, how real totalitarian methods are being used!
🤔👊🔥❤✌
Democracy is good till the party i like comes to power 😂😂😂
The world is so fragile. It's resilient at the same time, but it's probably more fragile than the average person realizes. We've came a long way, but still got a long way to go
That's very well said. I concur.
Do you think we will get there eventually or rip ourselves apart like we have been, before we have an honest chance?
@@obtuseangler768 might be optimistic but I think we'll get there. We've consistently throughout history gotten more and more civilized. We've had the ability to effectively end life on earth as we know it for nearly a century. And despite our differences and a few close calls we haven't done it yet. I think nuclear war is probably one of the greatest threats to civilization but the more time that goes by it's probably less and less likely that happens. The world is slowly but surely moving towards liberal democracy. And I think once the autocracies are gone that will also greatly reduce those chances. In the grand scheme of things a couple hundred years ain't nothing. Few hundred years ago we were enslaving each other and depriving certain parts of society of equal rights and democracy was just a pipe dream. I gotta think in 2 or 300 more we'll be even more fair and civilized. I hope lol.
Yeah, it’s too bad and sad at the same time, that we have been going backwards for the last three decades, and we are about to hit major global depression bc of the world government elitists
Thanks so much for posting
The hubris of thinking that our world is no longer under threat presented here is amazing. We are still under the same nuclear threat, maybe even worse.
Threat yes. Worse no
By Putin!
Putin, North Korea and Iran
The world isnt under threat. Our species and civilization is under threat.
If you removed all the humans from the earth in 10,000 years the only sign that we were here would be Mt. Rushmore.
The world is in no danger, we are.
Gareth Evan’s is a remarkable thinker on foreign affairs. Excellent to see him being utilised.
The man changed the world.
Ceaușescu mobilized supporters in a meeting in Bucharest meant to reminisce of his peak popularity, the denouncing of the crushing of the Prague Spring, on 21 of August 1968. He had a few days earlier returned from his last political visit, to Tehran. Instead, a large boom was heard in the square, and then people booed him. That day, him and Elena flew via chopper, but they were stopped and arrested
They got what they deserved.
There is a video showing the moment his world fell apart as he realized they were booing not cheering him...
He was stupid enough, he should learn from his friend "Deng Xiaoping" of the Chinese communist party.
Deng hold his guns tight at least two years and slowly moving away from emergency curfew .
Mikhail Gorbachev may be the most important character in the history of politics ! May he rest in peace !
Gorbachev is a traitor, he brought a lot of grief after the collapse of the USSR
Горбачев предатель и убийца миллионов.
@@АтмосфераиКислота He let that dying corpse to be burried. It was all stincking. It was his enemy that unburried it, put some strings on it and pretended it was alive.
@@АтмосфераиКислотаactually that was Stalin. Gorby just fixed it!
@@АтмосфераиКислота Not really his fault that Russia elected bad politicians
I am just amazed to see government working together to accomplish something, anything.
Gorbachev was the closet democratic Russian leader in Russian history.
He was willing to make compromises to his own Soviet Republics who wanted more autonomy, and he had a hands off approach to his Eastern European political subjects (which costed him by 1988).
i went from Ireland to live in Berlin in 1984, in 85 i moved from west Berlin to east berlin,i lived through the demos against communist rule.went thru the checkpoint the first night the border was opened,Bornholmer Brucke,bridge,district Pankow,was on the wall with hammer and chisel.lived there till 2019,returned home to ireland only to see drug gangs running the island,drug dealers on every street,politicians corrupt,the police useless,Ireland is under siege,at least in communist east Berlin,we had no drug cartels.
People snitched on their neighbours to the secret police and 44:45
Chernobyl was also a big factor which was the beginning of the Soviet Union's collapse
Yeah, agreed. It had been am embarrassing and EXPENSIVE factor, even.
My friend was in Germany in 1989. He came back to the states about a month before the wall came down. He was pretty disappointed to miss that event in history.
OMG, swimming 30-35 miles in the ocean. That’s insane.
POV: your neighbor has been visited by the KGB and he *did* know something
@22:10 its amazing to see the lady with the 🎒 and the man just walking next to her … emancipation 40 years ago … cool stuff
I remember these things, but I was in the 1st grade, 2nd grade here in the US. I wasn't paying very close attention. It's nice to revisit it as an adult with a better understanding of it all, the significance of events.
Apparently reality is circular...nothing can ever be resolved for good; the same rotten patch of the wheel comes round again.
Ohne thing that should be corrected is that Schabowski wasn’t a Soviet minister but an East German one. The draft from which he read was already approved by the Politbüro, but was marked not to get into effect until the next day, a line which he thankfully overread
I am so surprised by your great effort to teach us the previous documents many thanks to you all
It's not achivable from 'above' to reconcile with and forget the past without truly facing its crimes. Gorbachev had to experience it when his good intensions brought about events that turned that part of the world into a direction entirely different from what he intended. People did not judge led by dry common sense but driven by a lot of emotions. It was clear that no good will but merely the military presence of the Soviets were keeping the Eastern Block together. That is, brutal force. Although by then, this force was smiling at the people, trying to win their hearts. And the people said NO. Greetings from Hungary and thank you for the video.
At least now we are free from the dictatorship. I am happy and will never join urss
I think I get what you are saying. One reason Gorbachev failed was because he was not seen as a good Russian for being "honest". In the Russian culture if someone designs a new missile from scratch that is awesome - meh no big deal. Probably won't get noticed. And probably won't get built. But if a Russian were to steal the plans of such a missile from one of the NATO countries, then he is made a hero and the missile will get built. That's just the culture of Russia, and has been that way for hundreds of years. Russia doesn't design anything "new". They steal a design of whatever they need from one of its enemies. Check out my comment for even more detail about that and what America did during the cold war. Finally. take care (Just like Russians don't need no edukation or training to be great soldiers and military leaders. Russian men only need Russian Vodka to be great soldier. lol. and it's so funny because it's 100% true of the Russian perspective.)
Whats scary is what was the happiness and glory about this moment in history has now flipped around you see a falling west and a growing east. History does always comes back to haunt.
i was in the 6th grade when the Berlin Wall fell. thinking back on that time & what has transpired since is both fascinating & haunting
Best documentary❤
I love this documentary so dearly.
I'm old enough to remember the Berlin wall coming down, but was far to young to understand the significance.
that was me but 9/11
I watched it happen on TV. I didn't understand, but I knew it was important.
I was born in 1979 and I remember the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Collapse of the Soviet Union.
When the documentary mispronounces names and has an Australian talking about European politics, you know you’re in for a good one
So interesting to watch history from all sides
Yeah I’m 48 years old and I remember that day on the news as a child I remember not understanding what I was seeing until later in age the world and politics go hand over hand it’s crazy how things work and end up unfolding
I enjoy watching these types of documentaries.
Excellent doc ❤
I survived the Cold War! 💪 🇺🇲
We all did
Which wasn't really cold.
Brilliant documentary
Like many of us, I remember all this.....its ashame where things are today with Russia. Infact things are much much worse than they were during the Cold War....
What s the problem with Russia TODAY?
@@anagrosu8269 Nothing.....I'm going on about the situation.
@@anagrosu8269либерализм.
@@anagrosu8269 Its military commits war crimes and tries to invade countries
@@chriswilde7246go on coward. Russia is doing fine, the people live much better lives today than during the cold war.
Thought : and it just came to me , maybe Gorbachev was sacked then , and derided at home now , simply , Gorbachev was on another level , at order of magnitude , Gorbachev represented an Even Horizon abroad and within his own country . For this reason , his countrymen , trembled at fear with everything he represented . He was in fact greater as an individual than the current state of Soviet Socialism Socialism , for this reason , few could grasp his vision and brilliance. Side note : Gorbachev’s rise and fall is 100% the definition of the FACT , the Socialism , then , and just the same and likely even worse , become a doctrine that only brings heart break and destruction of the human mind body and soul. God Bless Gorbachev , no doubt , one of Gods most favorite children.
Высмеивают ? Его ненавидят. Горбачев ужаснее гитлера, каждая семья по всему СССР пострадала от этого кровавого упыря. Сталина вызвали в ад,чтобы он лично мучил горбачева.
Bit h boy, read about tito and his socialism. Gorbachev was an idiot changing systems too fast towards capitalism causing a decade of suffering for russia and all other nations from the soviet block. Every guy that causes suffering for millions of people should be sacked and punished.
No
Can u do a playlist of this series plz. So I can watch all episodes
The Berlin Wall came down because of shoddy workmanship.
Lol
It wasn't a US wall
damn camp labourers, neither like working in Germany nor Russia /:
@@stevejohnson6593 camps? What?
🙈😂
The irony is the collapse of the USSR, was bad for ordinary Americans. Led to deindustrialization, rich getting richer and poor getting poorer.
Lmao ok.
🙈😂
Isn't this series made for Amazon Prime?.
5:00 IMF structural adjustment programs had a lot to do with what happened in Romania. Nikolai refused to privatization of state owned assets because he would have to sell them off to the G7 Countries and refused to take on new loans. So instead he paid off the IMF debts at a huge human cost to Romanians.
What happened in Poland then, happened in Ukraine 2014. Only Putin intentionally reacted different from Gorbachev.
Not rly ukraine had elections since 90' also and they had i believe 2 pro western leaders.. then the leader who campaigned with promises of further westernization changed his mind and people replaced him..
What happened in Poland was organic. What happened in Ukraine in 2014 was a CIA backed Coup.
И правильно сделал. Украину нужно сравнять с землей. И Польшу тоже.
@@maksim05makarovThe only thing that's razed to the ground is your feeble economy and fragile pride. Russia is a failed state.
While there are many similarities there are also many striking differences. Not exactly a repeat entirely, but familiar themes are present, yes.
There is a piece of THE WALL with a painting of Reagan on it, in the Devore area, of San Bernardino, just off the 215. It stands 12.5 feet high, and is in Ronald Reagan park. Going North, get off at Palm, go right to Irvington, turn left, down a little ways on left.
It is so eery to be watching this at a time in history when the world is on the doorstep of WW3.
The destalinization policy of glasnost and perestroika caused the dissolution of the Soviet Union because the Soviet communist party did not have visionary figures like the Chinese communist party which opened itself in 1978
The graffiti on the Berlin wall is hilarious. High jump, training area 😂
30:56 the G7 and America dropped the ball with delays in economic aid and structural reform. Short term political gain and long term cost. 44:45
I remember watching the wall go dowm on tv as a 13 year old, of course i didnt recognize the signifigance of it at the time but it was absolutly huge! But it seems that we have lost years of good relations because of putin but maybe someday we will get another gorbachev
Indeed, it is beneficial to you... Imagine that under one "president" your country will fall to pieces, you will lose your former influence in the world, your economy will be destroyed, the country will plunge into poverty and hunger, oligarchs will privatize people's (state) property and houses, and banditry will continue everywhere for 10 years. years, then you'll (probably) be able to understand what we've been through... Soviet people wanted changes and a better life, looked to the West and thought that life would get better under capitalism, but in the end your whole world turned out to be plastic and an empty wrapper. America lives by exploiting the countries of the periphery, pumping resources out of them in exchange for green papers. The West does not understand what the USSR is, and is unlikely to understand... It is easier for you to believe in tales about the Gulag, imposing stereotypes based on dubious facts on us... Gorbachev and our entire leadership (to spite the people) destroyed not only the country, but also the entire civilization... The plastic world has won! (E. Letov)
I was 13yrs old as well. I also didn't realize what a huge significance it was. Gorbachev was an amazing man. May he R.I.P
Надеюсь что у нас к власти придет русская версия гитлера и сравняет всю Европу с землей.
@@jenniferagey8867I was 7. My parents told me I was watching HUGE historical events unfold in my lifetime. I watched the wall fall with no context of how important that was.
I love it when the Soldiers declare peace.
Perfect episodes, I’ve witnessed events shown here, however it’s not as simple as it looks like. There were thousands of secret russian agents across Eastern Europe and after 1990 majority of them went into business, banking and by keeping files- had an influence over political decisions.
I had mixed feelings about the wall coming down. I wanted the people in the East to have the freedom to live where they wanted, but by the same token I wanted the country to remain divided. There has to be permanent consequences for starting two world wars and murdering tens of millions of people. Germany should never be in a position to start another war.
Who cares what you think. God bless Germany, wonderful people and wonderful nation!
Germany didn't start ww1
@user-nm8kh4wi1y Totally agreed. The Germans of 1990 were not responsible for what happened between 1914 and 1945.
@@user-nm8kh4wi1yThe Germans had a right if they want to be one country again (and I also hope for a Korean and Irish reunifications too).
And this guy needs to be reminded that the last time someone actually tried to prevent German unification, they ended up being utterly humiliated (cough.. France 1870… cough) and the same thing could have happened to Thatcher.
This guy is just jealous of the fact that Germany is now a powerful and dominant European power and leader of the free world. I bet this guy also hated the fact that Germany won the football world cup that same year of reunification in 1990 (including breaking England's hearts in the semifinals).
One side ended the war
Others side started the war
He was so happy
Because he thought that he would be boss of the world
I remember seeing Regan yelling, "Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall". A while later it actually WAS torn down. It was unbelievable.
Gave me goosebumps.
I wonder what Queen Marie of Romania would have thought about the whole thing. Maybe, "it's about time".
From the peak of Soviet power (in the 1950s? 1960s?) until now, Russia has become so weak and fragile by its own doing. Between the collapse of the USSR and the disastrous Putin regime, Russia is a shell of what it used to be. I hope that someday Russia can become a legitimate democracy and part of the modern world. Most of the breakaway states have done it, with the beautiful Baltic states as the exemplars. 🇪🇪🇱🇻🇱🇹
Beautiful Baltic countries? If you move away from the center of Tallinn, you will see an ordinary Russian suburb (but with Estonians). The Baltic states are the worst example of "prosperity". The most prosperous country of the former USSR is Belarus, they even continue to develop production facilities.
Good. Let it collapse. Russia deserves nothing but to be forgotten.
Shell? The world is sanctioning russia and they still continue, infact their economy is rising. You ate too much propaganda. Well facebook and youtube are owned by usa in the end...
I think the serbs aren't honest about their past (something about cultural differences and massacres) but the balkans are supposed to be nice ^^
Only Montenegro is very expensive compared to it's neighbours, like eastern european Dubai or so.
Russia does not need a decrepit western model of democracy
Im I the only one that realizes these are decades old documentaries that were simply purchased by Timeline?
Or bits cut together from a few documentaries. I think so too, some cuts also hint at TV advertisement breaks.
Rocky 4. Rocky defeated communism. This is common knowledge.. hahaha. Great show though
You can't forget Apollo. Wasn't for Apollo dying. I doubt we would have had a Rocky 4
Commandant hats look warm for the winter
Mikhail Gorbachev was TRULY a wonderful man.
Yes he was! Pardon the melodrama but he was (for me and many my age) the face of hope. Especially to those of us sick of the cold war.
But a weak leader
@@jackhardy3905
It would have been impossible for a weak leader to convince a country of millions of people on the revolutionary concepts of Perestroika and Glasnost
He was a traitor, a self-righteous debuted fool.
Endless thousands of people whose lives he has ruined along with the ruined country are on his conscience.
@@aguerra1381United States will have the same wonderful men In future😊
The Soviet Union was not defeated in Afghanistan, they simply withdrew their army, because enough was enough.
Gorbachev is a great man, bringing freedom to people.
I was living in Finland when the Baltic States rose up against the USSR. It was wild watching TV news broadcasting images of Soviet tanks marauding through the streets of Tallinn, our close neighbor across the Baltic Sea.
Gorbachev did a lot to help the world. And Putin has taken us back to Stalinist times
Вас это кого??
Gorbachev sold out
Да где вы сталина увидели ? Мне нужен у власти Сталин, но его нет.
@@maksim05makarovMao can offer you a great leap forward I heard
Comrade Putin highly appreciates the services and kindness of comrade Stalin
18:40 Is that who I think it is?
I love how my Great America is still here standing strong and always will be..🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Not if Biden gets re-elected: Destroyer-In-Chief (Obama 3.0)
loved the look on the dictator of Romania's wife's face as hes giving that speech on the balcony to a group of dissenters. She could see what was coming at that moment.
George Herbert Walker Bush. I'm surprised he was voted in for one-term as POTUS. But I thought Mikhail Gorbachev was a good leader of the USSR. And had certain visions for the Soviet Union's public or society was never ready for and show'd to much weakness during a time the public wanted "strength" from him. Then we got Boris Yeltsin for the crazy Russian 1990's, and now are uber favorite mention Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
Chernobyl and how terribly it was handled, and all the incompetence coming to light, was the final nail in the USSR's coffin.
No one will ever convince me otherwise.
An IT security executive is who i turn to for all my Soviet Bloc and USSR information. 😂
President Regan , President Bush , Premier Gorbachev , three men , three statesman , true purveyors of Global Peace . Three Men , Three Leaders whose gravitas and command of geopolitical compromise, has to date , and very unfortunate , none elected since carried , carry themselves the way these Three Leaders presented. “Ubi Sunt” where are they now.
I think most people would struggle to associate any US president with global peace (Bush Jnr, and Sr, Reagan all included)! I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that Trump is the only president in living memory who hasn't instigated a war somewhere.
@@grantchallinor5263 you should really study a little bit about Ronald Reagan that you won’t because you’re setting your stupid ways
@@grantchallinor5263 Well then you are a bigot. They’re going to associate Soviet leaders with peace? Come on man. You also have to include the pope on that list.
As a Cold War veteran (84-88) and then served again from 92-97, I feel the world was "better" when the Curtain was up. We all knew the conquences of pushing the red button. It kept everything in cheque.
Now,everyone has Napoleon syndrome and want to be the big fish in the small pond. Everyone needs to read and then reread the history of the last 1000 years and get a clue.
When I hear Bush talk, I realize just how well Dana Carvey did of his impressions.
You win for one of the stupidest comments in RUclips
6:05 Is that Victor Orban?
🙈😂
the background melody is extremely familiar but i can't put my finger on the name , i think its some version of sweet dreams
In later year's, Russia exaggerated their military power.
Tell that to ukraine and their ever expanding cementaries
Part 8 ? Where is 1- 7 ? Any chance?
Remember everyone, capitalism might not be perfect but it's way better than the other option.
We don't really live in a true capitalist system anymore...
Banks go bankrupt they ask for bail outs.
Privatise the gains socialise the losses.
Ok
Gorbachev is a peaceful man a sincere man of peace just like Reagan. There was trust between them hence ending the Cold War! The disintegration of the Soviet Union is not a defeat for Russia and not even a win for USA! But a win for freedom for so many nations opposed to communism! In fact, even Russia is not purely on communism but on a one man rule against any political opponents.
Now the "liberated peoples" will be pumped up with weapons and set against Russia so that the United States will earn more money.
4:56
Wait, wait, wait, wait... Romania, the "once richest country in central Europe"? I don't know anything about it. The richest in what? Be specific, please. From what I know, Romania in the past used to be more like:
1) Traditional and conservative, even superstitious, especially in the countryside. Also people lived pretty simple lives there.
2) Rich in natural diversity and biotopes. That is true.
3) Ferocious against foreign attackers.
I definitely do not know everything about Romania, but I have never heard of it as the "richest country in central Europe". Please, specify the period and details.
Also: In central Europe? I mean CENTRAL Europe? Are you sure that the Romanian geographical position is generally considered to be in the central region of Europe?
"Central Europe" is usually considered to be: Poland, Slovakia, the Czech republic, Austria, Hungary, sometimes Germany.
Agreed, RO is technically Eastern Europe.
Romania is a resource rich nation which was pivotal in WWI or II so much that the USA launched covert strike on oil refinery in Romania
East German youths crossed over, and were buying all the Led Zeppelin albums they could get their hands on!
"Wörth it"
The love of money did not end so well...
Avarice
Good story. Ironically enough the world is no more safer nowadays than it had been at the time of the cold war. Mutual and numerous conflicts in Ukraine 🇺🇦, Israel 🇮🇱. Potentially in Taiwan 🇹🇼 Armenia 🇦🇲 and you name it. The world is certainly no better place today.
In December 1979, the Soviet Union made a terrible mistake that led to their demise...
No, they didn't
We also suffered from the regime they formed
I always admired Gorbachev. I think that he was a good man. It was in his eyes.
Correction: The USSR dis not collapse, they Agreed to disolve the Warsaw pact as they understood for peace, at that time with Nato with existing members & boundries, both parties were no longer at threat to each another.
I heard it was financially collapsing & it was better to steer it down than let it crash down.
I was 19 yrs old in 1989 and my whole family watching live news telecast of Berlin wall fall down and i thought there will be war between Soviet block and Western block and it's going to be end of the world .. And next day we saw the news chaos in East Berlin.. It's a frightening movement
I think that the US missed a great chance to draw Russia into the Western sphere of influence after the end of the Cold War, making it a strategic ally for the period afterward, as was done to Japan and Germany after the end of World War II. : With the Russian economy still in shambles, it would have been time to create a free market area between OSCE countries and offer the Russians dollars to use as foreign exchange reserves in exchange for every nuclear warhead inherited from the Soviet arsenal that they disposed of , as a kind of "Second Marshall Plan". This would have been fundamental to guarantee a faster, safer and more successful transition process towards democracy and the market economy, also avoiding any risk of backsliding. In return, the Russians would have to confront their dark past and promote their country's membership of NATO. The next step would be to reverse the "triangular diplomacy" initiated by Rihard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, forming an alliance with Russia to contain the strengthening of China. If such measures had been taken, the West would not now be feeling so cornered!
You mean then Russia wouldn’t feel so cornered*
Russia NEEDS to exist to counter the terrorist state of usa and its influence and also to keep china at bay. The best path is isolating or dismantling usa and bringing russia into eu.
@14:23 was that Alexander Lukashenco?
yep
We were so close...😢