The fall of the Berlin Wall on Nov. 9, 1989 signaled the beginning of the end of communism in Europe.
After hearing the broadcast, East Germans began gathering at the wall, demanding that border guards immediately open its gates.The surprised and overwhelmed guards made many hectic telephone calls to their superiors, but it became clear that there was no one among the East German authorities who would dare to take personal responsibility for issuing orders to use lethal force, so there was no way for the vastly outnumbered soldiers to hold back the huge crowd of East German citizens.

