archival records, berlin wall, citizen action, courage, east germany, secret police, stasi, surveillance state

The Fall of the Berlin Wall and the Courageous Act That Preserved History

The sudden collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 marked not only the physical dismantling of a barrier but also the symbolic crumbling of an oppressive regime. The East German State Security Service, known as Stasi, was a formidable force that had, for decades, instilled fear in the hearts of the people it was supposed ...

Max Lu

Germans celebrating at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

From Tiananmen to Berlin

In the early morning of June 4, 1989, the bloody suppression of the student-led demonstration by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Tiananmen Square shocked the world. The Western world and media severely condemned this. Four months later, the Berlin Wall fell. On October 7, 1989, at the National Day celebrations of the 40th anniversary ...

Max Lu

Germans celebrating at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.