On the BBC, news has turned to the fall of the Berlin Wall. It officially crumbled on 9th November 1989, the 20th Anniversary of that date will be celebrated this year. The BBC video of that night can be viewed here.They’re calling it ‘Europe’s Revolution’, but why did it really matter, what does it mean to us today?
Being just a helpless one-year-old when the Cold War, very symbolically, came to a close, I’m no expert.
But the resulting superpowers it appears, divided up Germany after the Second World War, and crucially, for many reasons, split the capital Berlin in the same way.
Soviet-Euro tensions grew and eventually the West and East of the country and capital were seized, by the Capitalist West and the Communist East respectively.
The wall was erected in 1961 and stood for more than a quarter of a century, splitting up families, seeing the West flourish whilst the East was stagnating and a death toll in the hundreds of those fleeing the harsh conditions under the Soviet-controlled area.
On the wider international scene, relationships between Kennedy and Khrushchev saw tensions rise to the most obvious example of brinkmanship in modern history, which many commentators believed would spark the Third, and most likely the last, World War.
So, over the 20 years since the great ‘iron curtain’ was drawn back, how have East and West faired?
Celebrations began then, and Germany is now a formidable world player in spite of an often unhelpful ‘Grand Coalition’ in its Parliament. It has been prosperous, a central country in the EU.
The European Union has fulfilled its aim of preventing war, seeing the longest period of peace ever between participating nations.
The former Soviet Satellites have been given a fair chance to participate in this great Pan-European experiment.
Now though, questions of accountability, democracy, and the role of the EU are arising, and the Lisbon Treaty has been proposed as the next step forward. Whether there is agreement, arguments for the development of the organisation are compelling for me.
In latest news, on 7th February, France and Germany proposed a joint initiative to see the European Union more well-placed to cope with emergencies like the global economic crisis.
To me, and my feelings about the EU, this can only be a good thing.
Three questions though:
1) Are bankers are ready to accept the failure of the widely accepted ‘free-market’?
2) Are governments prepared or even qualified to take a lead?
3) Will Right-Wing nationalist parties thrive on disillusionment in member states?
Russia has turned off the gas. Russian troops entered Georgia. The relationship between Russia and Europe is, uncertain, even fraught one. Where now from here?
The future of the EU, in national and international terms, should be the key issue for its members, and therefore, those standing in the European Elections. There will need to be a plan, and voters informed.
The EU’s enlargement to include the former Soviet satellites can be fairly attributed to that uplifting day for peace, 20 years ago. And it’s continued existence and development could prove it the most successful project of its kind, bringing tolerance and dialogue between countries to heal a world aching with wounds.
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