Brokaw: Live from the berlin wall on the most historic night in this wall's history.
Jennings: It is perhaps the most important announcement made in central europe
Since the end of world war ii.
Smale: Everything seemed really simple on November the 9th 1989.
Narrator: In 1989, communism's iron grip
Weakened as uprisings took place from berlin to beijing,
With vastly different results.
Wong: Everybody thought china would get more liberal as it became richer.
No one thought it would go the other way.
Reporter (over tv): The people's liberation army was gunning down protestors
In beijing's tiananmen square.
Wong: It was like being in a war zone.
Narrator: But while the forward momentum could not be denied,
There were new complications yet to come.
Smith: The economy was in shambles.
In the end I think that was what creates an opportunity for vladimir putin.
Wong: Tiananmen square is why today china has a real dictatorship.
Baker: Back in 1989,
We envisioned a world free of cold war tensions.
That's not the case today.
Smith: History has a kind of fluidity that when we think one thing is going to happen,
The results often times end up anything but what we expect.
Baker: The world as I had known it all of my adult life, changed,
And changed fundamentally, beginning in 1989.
(theme music plays).
Bush: In man's heart, if not in fact, the day of the dictator is over.
Great nations of the world are moving toward democracy, through the door to freedom.
Narrator: In the latter half of the 20th century, the united states and
The soviet union were perpetually engaged in a global showdown.
Some thought it would lead to world war iii, until the late 80's,
When a new kind of soviet leader emerged.
Baker: The course set by president gorbachev involves changes in
Political structure, ideology, legal practices and popular attitudes,
As well of course as the economy.
Mikhail gorbachev will be treated very, very, very well by history.
Gorbachev decided they would not keep the empire together through the use of force.
Narrator: For many decades, us presidents believed in the domino theory:
If one nation fell to communism, nearby nations would quickly follow suit.
But in 1989, the opposite happened.
A communist country turned democratic,
And other countries fell in its wake.
Baker: 1989 is the year in which all of this fundamental reform began,
And one of the first things that happened was that poland held an election.
Narrator: In poland, an independent labor union called "solidarity"
Pressured the country's communist government into holding a free election.
The government ultimately agreed to open the polls,
But thought it would be just for show.
Daniszewski: The communists thought they had rigged these elections, they were
Counting on the fact that they had enough political muscle to make sure that
Solidarity would be a minority, not a majority.
But the people themselves were so caught up in the possibility that things could
Really change, I've never seen that kind of enthusiasm.
They had these posters for the June 4th election with a picture of gary cooper,
Saying in polish, 'this is high noon.'
Baker: Solidarity won that election, they won it overwhelmingly,
With a guy named lech walesa leading the charge.
Daniszewski: By the end of the summer, poland had democratically exited
Communist rule, and it was the first country in eastern europe to do this.
Narrator: Gorbachev didn't stand in the way.
And with poland, the once impenetrable iron curtain suddenly had a big hole in it.
Bush: To those who think that dreams can be forever repressed,
I say let them look at poland,
For here in poland the dream is alive.
Narrator: The same day poland cast its vote for democracy,
Another historic event was unfolding in china.
For months prior, chinese citizens had been protesting communist rule.
A visit by mikhail gorbachev in may brought
Worldwide attention to the demonstrations.
Reporter: Soviet president gorbachev is flying to china at this hour,
For the first sino-soviet summit meeting in 30 years.
But even as china's communist leaders prepare to receive the soviet communist leader,
They've had to contend with students demanding democratic reforms.
Wong: In 1989, gorbachev is coming to meet deng xiaoping.
The two leaders are gonna meet.
That visit by gorbachev feeds the fire in beijing
Because 1000 foreign correspondents show up.
I was a foreign correspondent in beijing, I was covering his trip.
Gorbachev was trying to loosen controls in the soviet union.
Gorbachev said 'let's let in a little freedom,
And we'll worry about the economy later.'
Now in china they had decided to loosen the economy.
They were bringing in capitalism, people were living really well
And there were lots of consumer goods.
But people start to want more, and what they wanted was democracy.
So, people in china were protesting gorbachev,
His motorcade gets stopped because the whole of beijing is out in the streets
Blocking everything, and the chinese protesters are getting on international television.
Student: I want to say to the government: What we want is only democracy,
Only the freedom of the speech.
Narrator: Gorbechev's visit inspired more people to join the protests,
Calling for economic reform and political freedom.
Smith: It was really interesting to watch china try to figure out
"what do we do with this?"
Because that level of demonstration was unprecedented
In sort of modern chinese history.
Reporter (over tv): China's leaders were humiliated when students occupied
Tiananmen square in beijing during gorbachev's visit.
Wong: Within hours of gorbachev's departure,
The chinese leadership is really mad.
Premier li peng, he's a hardliner, he gets on television
And that's when he declares martial law.
Wong: That's when they bring in the army.
Reporter: The situation around tiananmen square in beijing
Grows more complicated and more tense.
The government may be planning to try to clear the square.
Troops carrying automatic weapons and wearing battle gear have been positioned.
Wong: I saw the trucks coming in so we went in the square and I interviewed people.
As journalists we don't quite understand what's really happening.
And then on the night of June 3rd,
They had orders to take the square using any means possible.
(shouting).
They shot their way into the square.
The tanks rolled through, and I was really scared.
One of the tanks started up his engine and ran over some of the students.
It was like being in a war zone.
Reporter (over tv): The estimates of how many chinese were killed and injured in
Yesterday's brutal assault on their movement for democracy vary widely,
But it is believed that there were hundreds of deaths and injuries.
Narrator: By 6:00 am on June 4th, thousands of
Chinese citizens had been beaten or killed.
The exact number reported still in dispute.
The army had cleared tiananmen square of protestors.
But the resistance would continue, showing the world an indelible moment of defiance.
Wong: Monday, I can't believe what I've seen.
And I go outside and the whole row of tanks is coming down
The boulevard of eternal peace, and there's this guy
With a little shopping bag and he's right in front of the lead tank,
And I'm going 'he's gonna be squashed!'
And then all of a sudden the tank turns off the motor and doesn't go forward.
Smith: That may be one of the, on a tiny list,
Of the most important images from the 20th century.
Everybody knows it's tiananmen square.
It doesn't matter how big the gun is, if you're standing up for the right stuff.
Baker: Tiananmen was a negative event, and gorbachev felt
'well that's not gonna happen in the soviet union.'
Wong: I think he could tell that there was no future for communism anymore.
I think if he hadn't had his summit with deng xiaoping just at that moment,
Maybe the world history would've been different.
Was built to separate east and west germany,
A literal division of communism and democracy.
But in the summer of 1989, austria and hungary opened their borders so east germans
Could cross into the democratic west germany.
The iron curtain was lifting,
And many wondered how much longer until the wall would fall.
Smale: I was based in vienna reporting on eastern europe.
When hungary and austria opened its gates in may of 1989,
This really was actually the end of the iron curtain.
It was a clear signal that unrest was really spreading to east germany.
Narrator: Gorbachev's visit to east germany that October came at an awkward moment,
And provided a dramatic and unexpected policy shift.
Baker: The most important thing that had happened right up to that time was when
Gorbachev had been asked about something having to do with east germany.
And gorbachev said 'policy for east germany
Is made in berlin, not in moscow.'
Which was a clear signal, I think, to people that the soviets were not going to
Call their troops out of the barracks in east germany.
Reporter (over tv): In central leipzig, banners calling for free elections, free travel
And a free press, and the people demanding new leadership.
And on their lips the name of one man who symbolizes the change in the communist world,
President gorbachev.
Protestors: Gorby! Gorby!
Reporter (over tv): The demonstration is the biggest threat yet
To the stability of the government.
Smith: There was so much pressure on the east german leaders, and you could just
Feel this thing is starting to really unravel.
Narrator: In November of 1989, the east german central committee
Gathered together and announced the country's new travel regulations.
The press conference would have a surprise ending.
Smale: The man who was sent out to explain the new travel regulations,
Günter schabowski, we now know had not been at one of the key meetings.
He had a bunch of papers shoved into his hand and
Went out for this press conference, I was there.
Somebody asked, 'we hear that you're thinking of adopting new travel rules,'
And he said, 'oh yes,' and he started to read them...
Smale: And then schabowski was asked by a journalist,
'well, so when does this start?'
And he looked at his papers and said...
Smith: Basically, he was trying to say that 'we're going to head toward this.'
But he says the word 'immediately' by mistake, it's done.
Smale: And then we suddenly heard west german television say
'oh, and we hear that it's also possible at checkpoint charlie to get across.'
And I turned to my colleague and I said,
'checkpoint charlie! I mean if that's true, then the whole thing is over.'
That night there were about 150 people there.
They were good spirited and they weren't, rebellious or crazy in any way.
The guards who had been taught to defend that border with their life if they needed to,
Were confused, they had no orders because it was all a mistake.
So they didn't know what to do,
And the border guards realized that I was a journalist.
They may not have known what to do to defend the wall,
But they knew for sure that a western journalist
Was not welcome in the east german border zone.
They opened this door that led to this very narrow passageway out,
And sort of shoved me into it.
And together with me, this woman squeezed her way in,
She was east german,
She had papers to visit the west.
We both gave our passports in to this sort of pimply border guard and then he looked at
Hers and said, 'but it's only valid on the 17th of November.'
And I just remember shouting at this guy in german, saying,
'but look around you man, history is happening!
What difference does it make?'
He sort of shrugged, pressed a button, the door to the west opened to us,
And that's how I know that I came across checkpoint charlie
That night with the first east german to cross.
It was an amazing moment, it was actually the only moment in my life when
I have pinched myself to see 'am I really here, or am I dreaming this!?'
Baker: Once the doors were open, the influx was huge.
Jennings: Astonishing news from east germany, where the east german authorities have
Said in essence, that the berlin wall doesn't mean anything anymore.
It is perhaps the most important announcement made in central europe
Since the end of world war ii, certainly since the wall went up.
Brokaw: Live from the berlin wall on the most historic night in this wall's history.
The people are here to celebrate freedom, for the east germans,
Freedom to travel, a primary right for people anywhere in the world.
Smale: The joy of unexpected liberation.
You'd been let out of jail.
Everything seemed really simple on November the 9th 1989.
This wall that had been standing since 1961 had fallen,
And that was just a simple, really easy to understand human message.
Smith: To see that wall crack, people with hammers and chisels...
And out there partying and drinking champagne on the precipice of the wall,
It was, it was unimaginable.
Narrator: But not everyone was happy with this turn of events.
Smale: Vladimir putin witnessed the fall of the berlin wall as a kgb agent
In dresden in east germany.
He saw the mob come in to those headquarters.
Putin saw that as a collapse in soviet order and must have wondered
What was going to take its place.
Smith: History has a kind of fluidity that when we think one thing is going to happen,
The results often times end up anything but what we expect.
Back into high political office today.
Reporter: Soviet analysts are calling it a victory for democracy and reform,
Results are still preliminary.
But election officials now say boris yeltsin will be russia's first elected president.
Narrator: In June of 1991, boris yeltsin became russia's
First democratically elected leader.
But his new economic system would prove difficult to control.
Just a few well connected oligarchs ultimately seized control of russia's major
Industries, while inflation soared and gross domestic product fell each and every
Year he was in power.
Baker: We did not anticipate, nor did the soviets,
The total implosion of the soviet union.
Nobody saw that coming.
Wong: Yeltsin did nothing really.
He took over from gorbachev.
It descended into chaos.
What they did was they opened up the soviet economy
And sold all the raw materials to the oligarchs.
In the meantime, you don't have a developed economy.
Russians are quite poor.
Whenever you have an economy in disaster,
Then people want a strong man to come in
And at least, you know, make the trains run on time.
Smith: I was in in russia after the dissolution of the soviet union.
The economy was in shambles.
The country was in really really tough shape.
For a lot of people there it was really tough times.
In the end, I think that was what creates the opportunity for vladimir putin.
Reporter: In moscow today an unprecedented peaceful passing of power
Between democratically elected leaders.
Along with the office of the president,
Vladimir putin is inheriting a vast array of serious problems.
Narrator: Shortly after he became russia's president, putin started displaying a
Leadership style that seemed like it was from a bygone era.
In just his first year in office, the government raided a tv news network,
Ties with fidel castro were re-established,
And many believe putin laid the foundation for his own fortunes,
Aligning himself with russia's oligarchs.
Baker: One sure way to coalesce domestic support
Is to be able to point to an outside enemy.
And so nato became the enemy, the west became the enemy,
The united states became the enemy.
Reporter (over tv): Russian president vladimir putin made his first visit
Since russia annexed crimea from ukraine.
Reporter (over tv): Russia sent more troops, tanks and military vehicles
Into eastern ukraine today.
Reporter: Kremlin claims there is no proof that moscow
Interfered in the 2016 us elections.
Reporter: Confrontation in the skies between u.S. Fighter jets
And nuclear capable russian bombers, not far from american shores.
Baker: People ask me all the time, 'are we in another cold war?'
My answer to that is absolutely we are.
When we have russian jets buzzing our aircraft and ships,
There's no other way to look at it.
Back in 1989 we envisioned
A world that would be free of cold war tensions.
That's not the case today.
In russia and in china the political system is still
A very much as closed as it was then.
Wong: In china the leaders saw what happened to the soviet union and to the eastern bloc,
And they actually doubled down on everything,
Which is why today,
I think china has a real dictatorship in xi jinping.
He saw what gorbachev did, so they sort of fed off each other and
They each took away a different lesson.
Everybody thought china would get more liberal as it became richer.
No one thought it would go the other way.
Baker: The jury is still out on whether or not this wonderful economic model
That they've created can continue to survive without any political freedom.
You can't have that economic freedom without giving the
People political freedom as well.
Wong: It's very hard to predict the future of china.
If china has capitalism which it has,
How long can it have a communist party running it?
And we saw in the soviet union how it just collapsed overnight...
Any day now the whole thing can fall apart in china.
They could have democracy.
Baker: True democracy and truly free markets, is a proven paradigm,
And it will succeed in my view for the next 30 years as well.
Wong: I think the lessons of 1989 for the world, is that,
We have to treasure the democracy we have,
Because it is fragile and it can easily be subverted.
Don't take democracy for granted.
Captioned by cotter captioning services.