The Scotsman archive: How we reported the fall of the Berlin Wall

Emotional scenes of people finding their freedom were reported in The Scotsman as the Berlin Wall fell.

It was hailed as one of “the most sensational political moves in Europe” since the end of the Second World War.

Naturally, the fall of the Berlin Wall held the front page of The Scotsman.

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The toppling of the wall on 9 November, 1989 brought to an end decades of “fencing East Germans in to prevent their flight to the West” with scenes of hope and freedom unfolding as bricks were torn out by hand and people danced on top of the rubble.

Thousands flowed through Checkpoint Charlie, the most famous crossing from East to West, while cheers rang out alongside the popping of Champagne corks.

The scenes followed the revamp of the East German ruling politburo and the announcement that all East Germans “can travel over all East German border checkpoints.”

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Gone was the barbed wire, the attack dogs and automatic firing devices trained at fleeing refugees. Dozens had been shot dead in their “flight to freedom” across the border but that night hundreds on the East side stormed the “bemused guards” at Checkpoint Charlie, who allowed many to cross.

The report added: “At the northern border post of Lubek, four young East Germans saying they wanted to savour western nightlife cross without problem, something unheard of in the 40-year-old history of East Germany.

“’There was no problem’, said one West Berliner who saw East Berliners coming over the border.

“One shot showed East Germans in tears as they crossed over to the West and then returned to the East just to see if it was possible,” the report added.

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Meanwhile, a West Berliner said he hugged and danced with an East Berlin couple who had crossed the white line dividing the city.

West Berlin mayor Walter Momper was quoted in The Scotsman. He said: “This is a day of joy. A historic day. We will welcome the people with open arms.”

Meanwhile, Bonn interior minister Wolfgang Schaeuble called on disgruntled East Germans to think twice before coming to the West - but reassured them that none would be turned away.

The full front page of The Scotsman dated November 10, 1989 - the day after the fall of the Berlin Wall.The full front page of The Scotsman dated November 10, 1989 - the day after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The full front page of The Scotsman dated November 10, 1989 - the day after the fall of the Berlin Wall. | The Scotsman

Over 225,000 East Germans had “given up” on their Communist homeland and made their way to West Germany so far that year, the report said.

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It added: “West German estimates put the total of those wanting to leave at between 1.2 and 1.4 million of the country’s 16 million population.”

The falling of the wall came following “mammoth protests” that had rocked East Germany for weeks.

Full travel freedom was a “key demand” of those demonstrating and was now a “stunning concession in a country that tried to pen in its citizens with the Berlin Wall,” the report added.

On the morning The Scotsman carried events of the night before, a further “flood” of East Germans into the West was expected.

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Politicians announced new visitor visas and the introduction of new laws to protect the new freedoms.

Free elections were promised - as were new laws on freedoms of assembly, association and the press.

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