The Collapse: The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall by Mary Elise Sarotte

On the fateful evening of November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall – the physical embodiment of the Cold War – was accidentally opened, leading to its eventual demise. In her acclaimed book “The Collapse: The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall,” Mary Elise Sarotte examines the events leading up to the fall of the Wall and explores the lives of the many people who played a pivotal role in this pivotal moment in modern history.

The book begins by providing a panoramic view of what was happening in Germany in 1989 as the entire country – split up between East and West – was caught in the throes of a quickly-changing political landscape. In the East, the government was still holding onto its strict communist ideals, but their days were slowly coming to an end. In the West, there was a growing movement for democratic reforms that was gaining unprecedented ground. It was against this backdrop that the Fall of the Wall (also known as the “Accidental Opening”) would take place.

Sarotte then moves on to focus her attention on the events leading up to the Wall’s collapse, beginning with a series of protests that began in Leipzig, East Germany in October of 1989. Sarotte zeroes in on the lives of individual protesters throughout the city, whose actions, though small, would eventually lead to the Wall’s collapse. As the protests grew in size, East German authorities began to make missteps in how they attempted to quell the unrest. Most notably, they announced they would allow anyone to cross the border to West Berlin. It would be this fateful announcement that would eventually bring down the entire Wall between East and West Germany.

From there, Sarotte dives deeper into the individual lives and stories of the people whose actions, decisions, and protests opened the Berlin Wall. These include officials on both sides of the Wall and everyday people such as those who had to physically police the event. Sarotte discusses the courage, determination, and hope of the protesters but also looks at their fears and doubts as they began to realize the enormity of the situation. We learn that this wasn’t a plan, that it was an accident, and that no one could have predicted what would happen next.

The book begins to draw to a close with a discussion of the events that happened in the days and weeks after the Wall opened. Sarotte covers topics such as the reunification of Germany, the geopolitics behind the Wall, and the state of the Cold War. Furthermore, she examines the legacies of the fallen Wall, postulating that the events of 1989 were certainly a major catalyst for international and world events but also had far-reaching implications that still exist and can be seen around the world today.

In her book “The Collapse: The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall”, Mary Elise Sarotte takes us on a meticulously detailed and enlightening look at the events leading up to and ultimately the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. She expertly explores the lead-up to the Wall’s collapse, the individuals whose actions, decisions, protests, and lives were integral to it, and the after-effects of the Wall’s opening. This book is an engrossing and informative account of one of the most impactful events of the 20th century and aims to provide a greater understanding of its significance and its implications in the world today.