30 Years ago, the Berlin Wall came down

[Tamas]

I was 9 at the time, and in terms of this and other happenings of the Eastern bloc collapsing, I didn't understand it of course, but I could sense something big was going on, and the excitement for a better future in the air.

Also things like the shitstorm in Romania, I remember folks being tense, worried for being dragged in to it.

[mongers]

I was 9 at the time, and in terms of this and other happenings of the Eastern bloc collapsing, I didn't understand it of course, but I could sense something big was going on, and the excitement for a better future in the air.

Also things like the shitstorm in Romania, I remember folks being tense, worried for being dragged in to it.

Tamas, that must have been on hell of a tense Christmas, with the ebb and flow of power over those few days.

I remember it well, I was stuck on a series of oilfield construction sites most of that year, a spectator as the world changed.   

[The Brain]

I was doing the same thing we did every night.

[Admiral Yi]

The wall coming down was the iconic TV friendly moment, but I'd argue that the true turning point was the failed coup in Moscow.

[The Brain]

The wall coming down was the iconic TV friendly moment, but I'd argue that the true turning point was the failed coup in Moscow.

That was more like Leyte IMHO.

[grumbler]

The wall coming down was the iconic TV friendly moment, but I'd argue that the true turning point was the failed coup in Moscow.

That was more like Leyte IMHO.

So it was the seventh-largest turning point, as Leyte is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines? Interesting analogy.

[The Brain]

The wall coming down was the iconic TV friendly moment, but I'd argue that the true turning point was the failed coup in Moscow.

That was more like Leyte IMHO.

So it was the seventh-largest turning point, as Leyte is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines? Interesting analogy.

ty

[Duque de Bragança]

Ronald 'Jericho' Reagan's greatest triumph.

A case could be made that it was Carter's insistence on human rights violation that started the demise of communism 

Tony Montana would have agreed.

[Razgovory]

I was 9 at the time, and in terms of this and other happenings of the Eastern bloc collapsing, I didn't understand it of course, but I could sense something big was going on, and the excitement for a better future in the air.

Also things like the shitstorm in Romania, I remember folks being tense, worried for being dragged in to it.

It's a Goddamn miracle that whole Eastern Bloc didn't collapse into civil war.

[The Minsky Moment]

Ronald 'Jericho' Reagan's greatest triumph.

A case could be made that it was Carter's insistence on human rights violation that started the demise of communism 

OT but the credit goes to:
Ford, Carter, and the US Congress for imposing national fuel efficiency standards
Carter and Reagan for decontrolling petroleum prices
Paul Volcker for throwing the OECD economies into recession in the early 80s
Phillips/Statoil etc for offshore field discoveries in the North Sea in the late 70s and early 80s
King Fahd and Ahmed Zaki Yamani for reversing course in 1985 and vastly increasing Saudi oil production

The combined effect of these actions was a gradual decline in oil prices followed by a complete collapse of the market in the winter of 1985-1986.
Similar trends affected other commodity markets.
The late Soviet economy was heavily dependent on the extractive resource industries for export and forex earnings and could not cope with the blow.

Communism defeated by markets.

[dps]

A case could be made that it was Carter's insistence on human rights violation that started the demise of communism 

I've never been a fan of Carter's, but I don't remember him insisting on violating human rights.   

[Eddie Teach]

Why do you think he's known as History's Greatest Monster?

[dps]

Why do you think he's known as History's Greatest Monster?

IMO, that title should still belong to Boris Karloff.