The Collapse

Mary Elise Sarotte provides a definitive account of the night the Berlin Wall fell, arguing that its opening was an accidental result of bureaucratic errors rather than strategic planning. Through archival research and interviews, she illustrates how a series of contingent events and individual choices by dissidents and officials led to the end of the Cold War order. The narrative details the chaotic moments at checkpoints and press conferences that transformed an intended travel reform into a h...