VISUAL ACTIVITY Fall of the Berlin Wall After 1961, the Berlin Wall stood as the prime symbol of the Cold War and the iron grip of communism over Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. More than four hundred Eastern Europeans were killed trying to flee to the West. After Communist authorities opened the wall on November 9, 1989, permitting free travel between East and West Germany, Berliners from both sides gathered at the wall to celebrate. Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images. READING THE IMAGE: What does the image tell you about the revolutions in Eastern Europe in 1989? CONNECTIONS: What were the major factors that made possible the dismantling of the Berlin Wall?