When the Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989, it marked a turning point in the Cold War in Europe and set in motion the process that led to the reunification of East and West Germany.
But before that could happen, Chancellor Helmut Kohl, had to address fears about the return of a powerful Germany and convince the four allied powers of France, Russia, the US and the UK - which had occupied Germany following the second world war - to agree to both countries reuniting.
After some careful diplomacy and the intervention of the US President, the new Federal Republic of Germany was formed on 3 October 1990, ending 40 years of division.
Joachim Bitterlich, a key advisor to Chancellor Kohl, speaks to Jacqueline Paine.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.
For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.
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We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines’ life and Omar Sharif’s legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.
You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives’ ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.
(Photo: Celebrating German unification, Berlin. Credit: Owen Franken/Corbis via Getty Images)
