Wir fluten jetzt.
9 November 1989 · Bornholmer Straße crossing, East Berlin
The order that never came
Jäger ordered the gates opened at 23:30 on his own authority. No shots were fired. The GDR effectively ended that night.
Reunification
Germany reunified 329 days later. The Cold War formally ended within two years.
Schabowski's press conference was a deliberate, announced decision to open the Berlin Wall that night.
The new travel regulation was meant to take effect the next day through official channels. Schabowski was handed the note minutes before the conference and misspoke about the timing when pressed directly.
The order to open the gate came down from Berlin's leadership, or from Moscow.
Jäger opened the barrier on his own authority, as the local commander of an overwhelmed checkpoint, without approval from his superiors.