While the speech effectively recognised East Berlin as part of the Soviet Bloc, it also reaffirmed America’s commitment to defend West Berlin against Communist expansion.
Although the border remained closed for around three hours, by 11pm the Berlin Wall checkpoint at Bornholmer Strasse had been opened.
The establishment of the GDR ensured that the division of Germany that had been implemented in 1945 was made permanent.
At midnight on 3 October the black, red and gold flag of West Germany was raised above the Brandenburg Gate which had previously divided the two sides.
Hungary had been inundated with East Germans since the government began removing the border fence in May.
In the evening of the 9th November 1989, the East German government opened the Berlin Wall after central committee spokesman Guenter Schabowski mistakenly announced that GDR citizens could cross into West Berlin with immediate effect.
On the 10th September 1989, the Hungarian government announced the opening of the border with Austria to allow thousands of East Germans to leave the Communist Bloc.
On the 7th October 1949 the German Democratic Republic, otherwise known as East Germany, was founded in the Soviet occupied zone of Germany.
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