World Freedom Day: History, significance of 'fall of the Berlin wall'

To celebrate the fall of the Berlin wall, every year the citizens of the United States celebrate World Freedom Day on November 9. US youths take to streets to celebrate the day which was first declared in 2001. Former President George W Bush chose the day to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of communist rule in Central and Eastern Europe. It is a National Holiday in the US.

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World Freedom Day's history

The Berlin Wall constructed in Berlin in 1961 during the Cold War divided the city into two parts. East Berlin was the de facto capital of East Germany and was occupied by the Soviet Union. West Berlin, on the other hand, was a free city politically closely affiliated with West Germany. Moedlareuth was split down the middle by the border between East and West Germany, with the southern part in Bavaria and the northern part in Thuringia, a partition that gave rise to its nickname, "Little Berlin."

The day was proclaimed by all - President George W Bush, President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump in 2005, 2016, 2017 respectively. Moreover, Young America's Foundation and the College Republicans urge students to mark this day as the start of "Freedom Week" by "celebrating victory over communism". President Ronald Reagan, who is responsible for the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War is also acclaimed by conservative political commentators and activists to use World Freedom Day.

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The day's significance

Conservative youth groups and activists perceive the day's celebration as the victory over communism. East German government announced that East Germans could visit West Berlin and West Germany, thus beginning the fall of the wall in 1989. During the wall's demolition, people were seen collecting broken pieces as souvenirs. Citizens acknowledge and celebrate the freedom granted to them as the citizen of a free and sovereign nation on the slated date.

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