On 9 November 1989, the Berlin Wall that had long divided the city and its inhabitants crumbled. In this exclusive BBC Archive clip as part of the new series In History, Brian Hanrahan reports as people flooded over the border for an emotional, anarchic reunion.
On the evening of 9 November 1989, the BBC's Brian Hanrahan stood amid scenes of jubilation witnessing a moment of history, the fall of the Berlin Wall.The atmosphere was electric. All around him Berliners hugged, cried and celebrated in a state of near disbelief that the barrier, which had divided their city for almost three decades, was crumbling.
For 28 years, the Wall stood as both a physical and ideological barrier, separating not just family and friends but an entire country. The west of Berlin prospered economically, fuelled by investment from the US and Western Europe, while the east of the city struggled, plagued by shortages and repressively monitored by the secret police, the Stasi. The Wall became a potent symbol of the Cold War, a physical manifestation of the divide between the Communist East and the Capitalist West.
In a moment that would alter the course of history, a spokesman mistakenly declared that East Germans would be allowed to cross the border freely, effective immediately