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Deconstructing History: Berlin Wall (2:27)

For 30 years, the Berlin Wall was the defining symbol of the Cold War, separating families and keeping the people from jobs and opportunity in the west.

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Videos (3)

  • Deconstructing History: Berlin Wall
    Deconstructing History: Berlin Wall

    Video Clip (2:27)

    For 30 years, the Berlin Wall was the defining symbol of the Cold War, separating families and keeping the people from jobs and opportunity in the west.

    Video Clip (2:27)
  • Cold War
    Cold War

    Video Clip (2:31)

    The Cold War is over, but what it left behind may surprise you.

    Video Clip (2:31)
  • Joseph Stalin
    Joseph Stalin

    Video Clip (2:20)

    For nearly 30 years, the Soviet Union is controlled by this ruthless tyrant, who sends millions to their death.

    Video Clip (2:20)

Photo Galleries (3)

  • Cold War: American Leaders
    Cold War: American Leaders

    13 Photos

    From 1945 until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, U.S. presidents and politicians developed strategies to limit the spread of communism.

    (13 Photos)
  • Communist Leaders
    Communist Leaders

    12 Photos

    During the 20th century, the worldwide spread of communism took many different forms under the direction of each country's leadership.

    (12 Photos)
  • Harry S. Truman
    Harry S. Truman

    19 Photos

    See pictures from the life and presidency of Harry S. Truman.

    (19 Photos)

Speeches & Audio (9)

  • Reagan Demands Fall of Berlin Wall
    Reagan Demands Fall of Berlin Wall

    Audio Clip (1:08)

    On June 12, 1987, in a speech delivered from the Brandenburg Gate in West Germany, President Ronald Reagan makes one of his most famous statements when he calls on Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall.

    Audio Clip (1:08)
  • Eisenhower on the Second Berlin Crisis
    Eisenhower on the Second Berlin Crisis

    Audio Clip (1:11)

    In November 1958, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev demanded that Western forces pull out of West Berlin in six months. On March 16, 1959, in a radio and television report to the American people, President Eisenhower speaks of the escalating Cold War tensions over Berlin, stressing that the United States will not give in to pressure from the USSR.

    Audio Clip (1:11)
  • Reagan Addresses British Parliament
    Reagan Addresses British Parliament

    Audio Clip (0:17)

    On June 8, 1982, in the first speech by an American president to a meeting of both houses of the British Parliament, President Ronald Reagan presents his hope for a future that would "leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash heap of history."

    Audio Clip (0:17)
  • John F. Kennedy Rallies Hope for Berlin
    John F. Kennedy Rallies Hope for Berlin

    Audio Clip (3:22)

    In a speech delivered in Berlin on June 26, 1963, President John F. Kennedy expresses his hopes for the reunification of Germany and shows solidarity with the crowd when he says, "I take pride in the words: Ich bin ein Berliner."

    Audio Clip (3:22)
  • Bush on the Fall of the Berlin Wall
    Bush on the Fall of the Berlin Wall

    Audio Clip (0:32)

    The day after the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 20, 1989, President George H. W. Bush met with West German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher to discuss plans for the reunification of Germany. As a token of his gratitude to the United States, Genscher brought President Bush a piece of the Berlin Wall. In a press conference, Bush thanks the foreign minister for the gift.

    Audio Clip (0:32)
  • Bush Calls for Glasnost in East Berlin
    Bush Calls for Glasnost in East Berlin

    Audio Clip (2:55)

    On May 31, 1989, in a speech delivered in Mainz, West Germany, President George H. W. Bush emphasizes America's desire to see the barriers between the east and west come down.

    Audio Clip (2:55)
  • West German Foreign Minister on Fall of Berlin Wall
    West German Foreign Minister on Fall of Berlin Wall

    Audio Clip (1:34)

    West German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher traveled to the U.S. to meet with President George H.W. Bush the day after the November 20, 1989, fall of the Berlin Wall. In his public remarks, Genscher pledges to encourage democratic reform.

    Audio Clip (1:34)
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt Delivers D-Day Prayer
    Franklin D. Roosevelt Delivers D-Day Prayer

    Audio Clip (3:37)

    In a national radio broadcast on June 6, 1944, as 160,000 Allied troops land in Normandy in an attempt to liberate France, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asks America to join him in a prayer.

    Audio Clip (3:37)
  • U.S. and U.S.S.R. Tussle Over Germany
    U.S. and U.S.S.R. Tussle Over Germany

    Audio Clip (2:38)

    Upon his return from commanding U.S. occupation forces in Germany, Gen. Lucius Clay holds a press conference on May 17, 1949, and fields questions about the growing tension between the United States and the Soviets over the division of Germany.

    Audio Clip (2:38)

Interactives (1)

Read More about Berlin Airlift

In June 1948, the U.S., Great Britain and France began to deliver food and other goods to Soviet-blockaded West Berlin by air. This “Berlin Airlift” lasted for more than a year.

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