35 Years Since the Berlin Wall Fell

It has been 35 years since the Soviets’ Berlin Wall fell and a new era of freedom was launched in the world. In our own day, America and Europe are fighting both domestic tyrants and foreign foes, but we can take heart from the scarcely hoped-for victory that occurred on this day in 1989.

From World History Guide:

In November 1989, after weeks of protests and demonstrations, the East German government announced that citizens would be allowed to freely cross the border between East and West Berlin. This decision sparked celebrations across Germany and around the world as people began to chip away at the Berlin Wall, a physical barrier that had long represented the divide between East and West. The fall of the Berlin Wall was not only a symbolic moment but also a pivotal one in global affairs.

For Our VIPs: 'On the Waterfront' Finale: The 2024 Election Was the U.S. Walking Away From Crime Bosses

When I went to Fatima in Portugal this year, I saw a large piece of the Berlin wall. Pieces of the wall, have in fact, made it all around the world — I used to keep one in my workspace as a reminder of my principles as a journalist — but I found this one particularly moving. Our Lady of Fatima, when she appeared in 1917, warned the visionaries and the world that the errors of Russia would spread, unless Russia were dedicated to her and sinners repented and turned to prayer. 

35 years ago, the Berlin Wall fell. Part of the wall was sent to Fatima, Portugal, as a symbol of the triumph of Our Lady and freedom-loving Christians over the errors of Russia. pic.twitter.com/9hgl5eo3C8

— Catherine Salgado (@CatSalgado32) November 9, 2024

Sadly, the world did not heed her warning, and the errors of Russia did spread. But in 1989, a death blow was struck at the Soviet Union. The crashing of the wall was the first rumbling of the fall of the Soviet empire. And so the piece of the Berlin Wall stands in Fatima, a symbol of the triumph of Our Lady, of the triumph of Jesus Christ, of the triumph of the ordinary citizen and the love of freedom over the Marxist, atheist dictators.

American Communists lost the 2024 election, their “blue wall” tumbling down, but they are not ready to admit total defeat. East German and Soviet thugs and spies, including Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel, are still influential and powerful on the world stage. Now it is our time to take the torch and carry on the fight for freedom, taking inspiration from the fall of the Berlin Wall to know that even seemingly impossible victories are within our grasp.