Berlin Wall: Gorbachev's Non-Intervention (1989)
by Anonymous
When East Germans began crossing the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, Gorbachev chose not to order Soviet troops to intervene. Previous Soviet leaders had crushed similar uprisings in Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968).
Allow the Wall to Fall
1989
year
Broke with Soviet tradition of intervention
precedent
Soviet control of Eastern Europe
stakes
Chosen — Cold War ended, Germany reunified
outcome
Military Intervention (Brezhnev Doctrine)
1989
year
Hungary 1956, Czechoslovakia 1968
precedent
Maintain Soviet empire by force
stakes
Not chosen — Gorbachev rejected this path
outcome
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