The Fall of the Berlin Wall

William F. Buckley, Jr., is remembered as a serious and influential Conservative thinker, and also as an author who wrote in a concise yet highly-informative way. This book definitely shows that that reputation was well deserved. In a mere 212 pages (192, if you don't count the endnotes and index!), Mr. Buckley tells the story of the Berlin Wall, from its conception in the mind of de facto East German leader Walter Ulbricht, through its building, its long and terror-filled life, and on to its final destruction in a carnival-like atmosphere. But, this book is even more than that, in a remarkably short space, the book tells the story of the Cold War in Europe, from the end of World War 2 to the final fall of Communism. Yeah, this is an excellent book, the handiwork of a genius. I found the book to be very informative, and very interesting. Indeed, it is surprisingly gripping, keeping me from even looking at another book before this one was finished. I highly enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it to anyone interested in the Cold War.

We are extremely fortunate to have the story of the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall rendered in the precise narrative of Mr. Buckley's book. Sceptics who might have expected Mr. Buckley exclusively to lavish praise on President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher will be sorely disappointed. What emerges in this concise history is far more complex. Three factors combined over time "to tear down this wall." First, Reagan and Thatcher were remarkably adept at pressuring the Soviet Union. On the U.S. side, National Security Directive - 75 sanctioned efforts to stimulate internal pressures on the USSR. The Star Wars program became a threat that Gorbachev could neither ignore nor afford to confront. Second, Gorbachev himself made the right moral choice in choosing to recognize rather than repress the growing aspirations for democracy in the Soviet bloc. [There was nothing inevitable in that, as made clear in the Gorbachev chapter in Ferguson's Virtual History.] Finally, within the Soviet Union, perhaps most especially in Gdansk, the desire for autonomy was courageously made actionable by ordinary citizens who at that perfect moment in time decided to become some of the century's greatest heroes. All these factors combined to replace the cold, unwavering Brezhnev Doctrine -- once a Soviet state always a Soviet state -- with what Primakov later implied was the new, Sinatra doctrine -- they can do it their way. Inevitably, the problem with well-written short books is that one wishes they were longer. So, I would like to have seen Mr. Buckley delve more into the Soviet struggle in Afghanistan with the ensuing alleged consequences for Al Queada, and I think the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict deserved a more in-depth narrative, one placing it in its larger historical context. All that is little more than saying I wish Buckely had continued to write this book, and that, I think, is often the way good short books books become really long insipid books. Thankfully, Buckley opted to give us a superbly readable and precisely rendered account of a significant part of what was both, as historian John Gaddis called it, the "long peace," and at the same time the long war of the 20th Century.

Obviously, the Cold War is so multifaceted and complex that it would take about 20 times this thin volume to fully explain its many dimensions and manifestations. Even if one concentrates on the Cold War in Europe, a reader would still be faced with a lengthy reading assignment. While Buckley does not deliver any kind of amazing historical work in this book, the brilliant scion of the conservative movement gives a crisp description of the spirit of the Cold War. By spirit I refer to the very human emotions and motivations that drove the two superpowers to loggerheads for over 40 years. After reading this wonderful little gem of a book, a reader should better understand just what was at stake for all those seemingly distant decades, and perhaps appreciate more dearly the joyous way in which the longest of wars came to an end in the streets of Berlin.Buckley manages to weave the majesty of the 40 years of intense diplomatic and international history into a very quick and enjoyable reading experience. The famed conservative scribe was motivated to write this book because of his own experience with the Berlin Wall. Like many others, Buckley was stunned by the sheer historical weight of the granite, and the deep political divisions it represented. The early days of East Germany are detailed, as German communists and their Soviet overlords tried desperately to compete with increasingly powerful western sector. This task was obviously impossible, as the decrepit realities of communist economics suddenly made themselves very evident. As the best and the brightest of the communist East began to flow over the border, the authorities had to construct a block. While few believed this block would be so starkly medieval in its presence, the communists had little choice. Buckley makes a very interesting assertion that if America had made a substantial show of force in Berlin, the Soviets were very willing to back down. However, President Kennedy at the time was fairly chaste in handling the Soviets, believing that since the world was on such a razors edge, it was not wise to enter the dangerous game at that juncture. The wall went up, higher and higher, and escape soon became impossible. The Iron Curtain was now real, for all the world to see.The years of separation are really amazing ones when one thinks about the mind boggling dimensions of it. A modern city, physically torn apart. Buckley pushes this stunning idea, so foreign to younger readers such as myself. The wall became the symbol for everything evil in the world, of man?s domination of its fellow man. Buckley reveals himself, at least to me, as a very prolific political writer. His understanding of western European politics and the inner meanings of it are really gripping. Various German governments sought new ways to approach the wall, none of which were very successful. It was only when Reagan put a spotlight on the wall did the first cracks appear. The best part of the book is

Before reading this surprisingly succinct work by William F.Buckley, it would have been hard for me to imagine a comprehensive Cold War history consolidated into 192 pages of text. But under the amazingly capable pen of Buckley, the reader learns all the highlights (lowlights?) of this seminal period in International history.Starting with the Four-Power agreement in post WWII Germany, we see the numerous policy offenses initiated by the USSR as they grasp for power by forming the Eastern Bloc of socialist countries. Nowhere is this skewed outlook more evident than in war-torn and politically seperated Germany...specifically, it's capital in Berlin. We see immediately, the subversion encountered by the citizens of East Berlin and their realization that life would be best lived outside this repressive regime. The outpouring of the population to the West is, of course, the reason that the Wall is erected...thus symbolically subjugating Eastern Europe to over 30 years of repressive treatment. Communist/Socialist leaders from Walter Ulbricht to Erich Honecker are analyzed and dismissed as their policies reflect the repressive attitude that Communism endows on it's subjects...while at the same time it's leaders live in comparative luxury. Buckley provides these insights with a wit and writing style that makes it easy to understand this subversion and frustration that all in the East must have felt during this period. Documenting the many attrocities enacted by the East Germans as the Wall is erected and further enhanced throughout the 60's, Buckley takes the reader along for the many inside dealings that the East tried to legitimize and enhance it's regime on the International stage.Major Cold War events such as the Hungarian uprising in 1956, the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the "Prague Spring" in 1968 are connected with Buckley's wry commentary that also ties in the human component to these major events. We see American General Lucious Clay stare down the Soviets at Checkpoint Charlie and see how this strength of character was unfortunately a rareity in American policy towards the Soviet Union...rare until that confleunce of major Cold War revisionists Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev enacted several initiatives that ultimately lead not only to the destruction of the Wall, but the end of Communism and, more specifically, the Soviet Union itself. Buckley covers all this in an amazingly comprehensive manner and closes out the book with the enacting of the Democratic government that exists in a unified Germany today.If a short, to-the-point comprehensive history of the Cold War and the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall is what you're looking for, than this is the book for you. Beautifully written and covering all the major seminal periods of the Cold War, Buckley enhances his reputation as a political writer and serves the public well with "The Fall of the Berling Wall". This is a work that I'd recommend highly.

This book is really fascinating. William F. Buckley Jr. writes with amazing detail about the symbolism of the Berlin Wall, both its rise and ultimately, the meaning of its fall. I really found the personal stories included, of people trying to escape to West Germany, to be so powerful. Anybody who is interested in the Cold War history should read this book.