**Previously recorded by Phyllis Schlafly**
This Sunday November 9, is the 18th anniversary of a very important event in 1989 that we should never forget: the end of the vicious and infamous Berlin Wall that divided freedom from Communist slavery for nearly three decades of the 20th century. Ronald Reagan hoped for that day ever since he became President, and which he demanded in his famous words: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this Wall.”
At the end of World War II, millions of people were fleeing from Eastern to Western Europe to try to escape the tyranny of Communism in the Soviet Union and in East Germany. In 1961, the Russians ordered the building of the Berlin Wall, which was constructed and maintained by Communist East Germany. It was the most visible symbol of the Cold War. It was the dividing line between tyranny and freedom. The Wall was 12 feet high and 103 miles long, with openings only at two closely guarded crossing points. Between 1961 and 1989, a few desperate East Germans managed to escape by ingenious methods – one in a famous hot-air balloon. They were the 20th century types who would have agreed with Patrick Henry, “Give me liberty or give me death.” Over 100 brave people were killed trying to cross the border. The Communist guards showed no mercy on those trying to escape.
It was my good fortune to be able to see both sides of the Berlin Wall in 1990 when it was half demolished and half still standing. I brought home some souvenirs of the Wall which hang in my office. A large piece of the Wall stands as an exhibit at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, and another piece of the Wall stands in Fulton, Missouri where Winston Churchill made his famous Iron Curtain speech. Both are popular tourist attractions, as indeed they should be.
The day the Berlin Wall came down was a great day for world freedom, and that’s why this Sunday is called World Freedom Day.
This post originally appeared at https://phyllisschlafly.com/liberalism-and-conservatism/an-anniversary-we-should-always-celebrate/
Ryan Hite