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 > Poland, a long road to freedom > The Fall of the Berlin Wall > The Czechs and the Slovaks, the peaceable road
dimarts, 4 de febrer de 2003
On May 1, 2004, the number of member states of the European Union will jump from 15 to 25, when eight states from Eastern Europe and two from the Mediterranean- Cypress and Malta- are incorporated. In this way, a new enlarged Europe will come into being after decades of division.
Let's not forget that as recently as ten years ago, Europe and the rest of the world was divided between two antagonists: the communist block, which included most Eastern European countries; and the capitalist block, which comprehended the most representative states of Western Europe. And it's also worth noting that the Europe that today has agreed to stand as one sole political entity was at war sixty years ago. It seemed as though Europe would always remain divided. But all at once, and to everyone's great amazement, the Berlin Wall came down in 1989 and the communist Soviet regime's dominion over eastern countries crumbled. Out of the blue, these countries were facing freedom. But liberty is not built from one day to the next. Each of these nations had to make the transition to democracy, and for many, it has been a rocky road. Such is the case of the former Yugoslavia, which was devastated by a war that cost thousands of lives. Despite the slow pace, the progress that most European countries have made in consolidating their democratic systems is incontrovertible. Incorporation into the European Union in 2004 is the best proof of this evolution.
 
Poland, a long road to freedom
+ Lech Walesa led the protest culminated in the expulsion of the Russians from all eastern territories.
The Poles are surely one of the peoples who suffered the most repression and lack of liberty over the last two centuries. Due to its geographic location, Poland has always been at the mercy of its neighbors' territorial ambitions, especially those of Germany and Russia. Poland's land was parceled up and distributed among Austria, Prussia, and Russia during the 18th century. During the Nazi occupation of World War II, its people -especially Polish Jews- were oppressed, deported, and murdered. And the War's end brought no respite in the suffering. The Russian Communists occupied Poland, oppressing the population for decades. But throughout it all, the Pole's longing for liberty was never extinguished. In fact, it was Poland that led the protests that culminated in the expulsion of the Russians from all eastern territories.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall)
+ Popular pressure forced the destruction of the wall.
Nothing represents the division of Europe better than the Berlin Wall. To understand events, we have to look back to the end of World War II when Germany was partitioned into two parts: West Germany, occupied by the Capitalist force; and East Germany, controlled by a Soviet-dominated communist system. When this same split began to be replicated inside the German capital of Berlin, many folks from the eastern partition fled to the western zone. It was in order to prevent a mass exodus that Communist authorities built a wall right through the middle of the city. It stood for 30 years. Families were separated and countless friendships were severed. But this absurd division ended on November 9, 1989, when popular pressure forced the destruction of the wall. It was an emotional moment not only for Germans and the world at large, but most especially for the Berliners, who were the ones most affected by the "wall of shame." The days of a divided Europe had come to an end.
The Czechs and the Slovaks, the peaceable road)
+ The writer and politician Václav Havel led the 'Velvet Revolution'.
When World War I ended in 1918, a country named Czechoslovakia was formed, bringing together two peoples: the Czechs and the Slovaks. Much like Poland, Czechoslovakia suffered under the Communist regime, and it wasn't until 1989 that its road to freedom began. And it was achieved pacifically, without the violence plaguing other regions, as has been the case in the Balkan Peninsula. For this reason, the process of liberation is known as the 'Velvet Revolution', a movement led by the renowned writer and politician, Václav Havel. Four years later, the Czechs and the Slovaks separated peacefully, their process again served as another lesson for the world. In this way, two countries were born: the Czech Republic, with its capital in Prague, and Slovakia, with its capital in Bratislava. Havel served from that moment as the Czech president, and will be leaving the office on February 2, after ten years.
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> L'escriptor i polític txec Václav Havel va encapçalar la 'Revolució de Vellut' l'any 1989. Però abans va ésser empresonat per haver defensat les idees democràtiques. Saps quin nom reben les cartes que va escriure mentre estava mancat de llibertat? Trobaràs la resposta en aquesta pàgina biogràfica.
> Mikhaïl Gorbatxov va dur a terme un seguit de reformes a la Unió Soviètica. Una d'elles se la coneixia amb el mot rus 'glasnost'. Saps en què consistia? Cerca'n la resposta en aquesta adreça electrònica.
> El riu Danubi creua la majoria d'estats de l'Europa de l'Est. Saps si passa per la ciutat txeca de Praga? Trobaràs la resposta fent clic aquí.
> El mur de Berlín va dividir aquesta ciutat durant gairebé trenta anys. L'XTEC t'ofereix un vídeo centrat íntegrament en la història del que s'ha qualificat com el 'mur de la vergonya'. Visualitza'l i de ben segur que aprendràs molts coses.
I també...
- El mur de Berlín es va construir per evitar que la població de l'est d'aquesta ciutat fugís cap a la zona oest. Hi ha un bon nombre de fotografies del moment en què es va construir, però la més coneguda de totes és aquesta.
- La desfeta de la Unió Soviètica va donar lloc a la independència de tres països bàltics. Quins? Cerca'n la resposta en aquest vídeo.
- Just després de l'enfonsament del mur de Berlín s'inicià el procés de reunificació d'Alemanya. Quin polític alemany va ésser fonamental a l'hora d'impulsar aquest procés? Trobaràs la resposta en aquesta pàgina web. N'hi ha prou que investiguis una mica.
- En quin estat estava integrada Croàcia abans que assolís la independència el 1991? I el dirigent comunista que governava aquest estat, qui va ésser? Trobaràs les respostes fent un clic aquí.
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