Two common themes emerge from a collection of exclusive articles and historic texts published today by the Centre for Policy Studies to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Sunday 9 November:
- that the popular revolutions in Eastern Europe were completely unexpected (apart from by Zbiginiew Brzezinski and Niall Ferguson);
- that the West failed to capitalise on its great victory.
Please click through to the following articles for the full text:
- the astonishing prescience of Zbiginiew Brzezinski in his 1988 Centre for Policy Studies lecture: Why the Wall will fall and why China will be the second largest economy by 2010.
- Lord Powell: Why the Soviet Ambassador knocked on the door of Number 10 at midnight.
- Lord Howell: “Looking back, it is strange how many of us thought it would not happen in our lifetime”.
- Margaret Thatcher’s speech at the Lord Mayor’s banquet (13 November 1989): “The message is clear, when people are free to choose they choose freedom, they turn their backs on a system which has been discredited—not by Western propaganda but by first-hand experience.”
- Michael Clarke: “I was in good company in being wrong about the longevity of the Berlin Wall. Mrs Thatcher thought the same.”
- John O’Sullivan: "Gorbachev had several vigorous debates over economic liberty with Mrs. Thatcher before and after becoming leader"
- Professor Niall Ferguson: Why my article forecasting the fall of the Wall was spiked (“You’ve been listening to one too many Reagan speeches”).
And of course, President Ronald Reagan's 'Tear Down This Wall' speech is a must-watch:
Tweet your favourite article with #BerlinWall25.