The ever-growing tensions between the allies and the Soviet Sector continued throughout the early 80's. It wasn't until 1987 that the unthinkable happened. The President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, visited Berlin right outside of the Brandenburg Gate (which was near the Berlin Wall). Reagan gave a speech about the Berlin Wall and urged the Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "Tear down this wall!" This lit a fire and the people of Berlin began to protest East Germany. In 1989, the Pan-European Picnic took place. 600 GDR (German Democratic Republic) citizens fled to the west. The overflow of refugees caused embassies in Budapest and Prague to close. On September 12th, 1989, the Polish Government promised that all GDR citizens who found refuge in the West German Embassy in Warsaw would not be sent back. In October, peaceful protesters demonstrated with numbers as high as 70,000. On November 4th, 1989, more than 500,000 protesters demonstrated freedom of the press, the opinion, and the assembly, as well as Democratic Reforms. After an international press conference, the wall finally fell on November 9th, 1989. Ending the division of Germany and of Europe.
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