November 9th is the 36th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. On November 9, 1989, East German party leader Günter Schabowski was giving a televised press conference. He made a surprising announcement: that East German citizens could apply for permission to travel without the usual requirements, and that permanent emigration at all border crossings, including those of East and West Berlin, was now allowed. This announcement was startling, but Schabowski said, "As far as I know, it takes effect immediately, without delay" ("Das tritt nach meiner Kenntnis ... ist das sofort ... unverzüglich"). His information was actually incomplete, and he had not been properly briefed how to handle the announcement. So his role in the day was to be a player in a bureaucratic mixup. As that same evening moved along, thousands of people who had been listening to the press conference gathered at the Berlin Wall, outnumbering the soldiers, who did not use force against them. Removal of the Wall began and continued during the weeks ahead. People hammered and picked at the wall, opening sections. Pieces were kept and traded as souvenirs. What remained of the wall was officially removed in the summer of 1990. Berlin roads that had been blocked by the wall's construction in 1961 were reopened. Within the year, East and West Germany were reunited.
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