On the night of November 9, 1989, massive crowds surged toward the Berlin Wall, drawn by an announcement that caught the world by surprise: East Germans could now move freely to the West. The Wall—infamous symbol of divided Cold War Europe—seemed to be falling. But the opening of the gates that night was not planned by the East German ruling regime—nor was it the result of a bargain between either Ronald Reagan or George H.W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
It was an accident.
Introduction: Discovering the Causes of the Collapse
Chapter 1. A Brutal Status Quo
Chapter 2. Marginal to Massive
Chapter 3. The Fight for the Ring
Chapter 4. The Revolution Advances, the Regime Plays for Time
Chapter 5. Failure to Communicate on November 9, 1989
Chapter 6. The Revolution, Televised
Epilogue: Violence and Victory, Trust and Triumphalism
Brief Timeline of Major Events Highlighted in the Text