William Tyler
Berlin Divided
Summary
The Cold War in the 20th century was not an actual conflict but a period of division and fear, encompassing a global ideological struggle between systems of communism and democracy. Berlin served as a symbol of this division, physically separated into East and West Berlin. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 signaled the decline of Soviet influence not only in Eastern Europe but also in Russia itself.
William Tyler
William Tyler has spent his entire professional life in adult education, beginning at Kingsgate College in 1969. He has lectured widely for many public bodies, including the University of Cambridge and the WEA, in addition to speaking to many clubs and societies. In 2009, William was awarded the MBE for services to adult education, and he has previously been a scholar in residence at the London Jewish Cultural Centre.
Not as strong, it’s not the communists you’ve got to fear in Germany today. The neofascists, the AFD are a bigger problem in Germany right now.
Gorbachev was not abandoning the Soviet system, he was modernising it, making it more acceptable. He wanted the countries of Eastern Europe to find their own destiny just as he was trying to find Russia’s own destiny.