Twenty years ago today, the first pieces of the Berlin Wall came crashing down. Although most of us were small children and probably cannot recall the event, the wall’s destruction ended decades of fear and changed the world forever.
Ask your parents about their experiences in school and they will undoubtedly at some point mention the Cold War.
For them, day-to-day school activities were routinely interrupted with “duck and cover” drills designed to protect students from an incoming nuclear bomb.
Prompted by a siren or teacher, students would get under their desks while covering their heads with their hands. The drills were not limited to schools but practiced in churches, businesses and hospitals across the country. These seemingly pointless drills are only one example of the uncertainty and paranoia that existed during this time.
The United States and our allies battled the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc for nearly 40 years through containment policies, proxy wars, arms races and technological innovations. The Soviet ideologies of totalitarianism and communism went against the core principles of Western liberty and democracy and were, therefore, to be eliminated at all costs.
Fierce debates among historians as to what actually caused the end of the Cold War persists; however, the fall of the Berlin Wall is universally agreed upon as the symbol of the Soviet collapse.
The anniversary of this historic event should be used as a reminder to the people of the world of the positive effects of international cooperation and strategic alliances.
Growing up in a conservative family in Oklahoma, I was always led to believe there was only one reason the U.S. and other allies won the Cold War — Ronald Reagan.
The idea that Reagan ended the Cold War is an essential cornerstone to the modern day conservative movement, and unfortunately, it is not true.
Former President Reagan drastically increasing defense spending was important but the military didn’t end the Cold War. The political, economic and social unification of the West against the Soviet Union had a far greater impact than Reagan’s defense budget increases.
Immediately following World War II, the United States and other western powers united to rebuild and protect Europe through the formation of NATO and legislation like the Marshall Plan. Investment into rebuilding infrastructure, homes, schools and hospitals fueled modern day globalization and stabilized life across the world for citizens of western nations.
Conversely, the Soviet Union did not make these basic investments in the Eastern Bloc.
Citizens of the USSR did not have basic human rights and the government’s only priority was maintaining power at all costs.
Consequently, the Soviet Union began to collapse internally with a series of peaceful revolutions in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria.
Furthermore, Mikhail Gorbachev became general secretary in 1985 and enacted sweeping economic and political reforms called “perestroika” and “glasnost,” which restructured the entire Soviet system.
The downfall of the Soviet Union was a long and slow process yet cooperation and conversation eventually defeated tyranny and terror. Ultimately, the militaries and propaganda from both sides were not enough to tip the scale either direction.
So grab your Jägermeister and let’s celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago today as a transformative moment in world history where the ideals of freedom and collaboration reunited the people of Germany and spared our generation the humiliation of hiding under plywood desks in case of nuclear disaster.
Lucas Elwell is a MBA student. He received his undergraduate degrees in Finance.
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