1989 - The fall of the Soviet Union

The political drama of the fall of the Iron Curtain as told by one of its power brokers and the widow of one of its casualties.
A film by Anders Østergaard and Erzsébet Rácz
year: 2014
www.1989thefil...

[@joposepef]

I was born in Budapest in 1953. In 1956, after two failed attempts, my parents successfully escaped on the third attempt, risking their lives. They settled in Chile, where I pursued a career as a fighter pilot for the Chilean Air Force between 1968 and 1992. Several times I tried to travel to my native country to meet the family I had left behind, without success. Hungary was behind the Iron Curtain and it was forbidden to visit my family, with whom it was very difficult to communicate, the letters went through state censorship. In 1990, with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the Chilean Air Force, I was commissioned to take a staff course at the Royal Air Force Staff College in Bracknell, UK. The course began in the first days of January, and one of my classmates was a Luftwaffe pilot whose name was Luky; I don't remember his last name. I asked him his opinion about an eventual reunification of Germany, to which he replied that it was a fact, but that it would take a few years. During the August holidays I was able to make a short visit to my native country for the first time, meet my uncles and cousins and visit the graves of my ancestors. In October, the course included a visit to UK forces in Berlin and Paderborn. The famous Checkpoint C in Berlin was unmanned and there was free transit between East and West. On October 3rd, while we were in Paderborn, reunification took place. The first one surprised was Luky. Years later I had the opportunity to visit my native country and my family for a longer time, in what was the most intense and marking experience of my life. I owe it to Németh Miklos.

[@oliverwortley3822]

thank you for your personal story and insight.

[@TheSteveRobinson]

You were 15 in 1968... how could you fly for the Chilean Air Force? You must mean 1978, correct?

[@blotski]

I must be honest. As somebody who worked a lot with Chilean refugees in the 1970s after the military coup the first thing I think of when somebody tells me they were in the Chilean airforce during that period is the bombing of La Moneda presidential palace, the killing of the president and the following years of Pinochet's military dictatorship during which 3,000 Chileans were left dead or missing, tens of thousands of prisoners were tortured, and an estimated 200,000 Chileans fled into exile. That a refugee from Hungary should have taken an active part in that is too ironic to stomach.

[@Hunter_Nebid]

@@joposepef Incredible story, Sir!

[@alogic75]

​@@blotski sad story, but a communist dictatorship is much worse than the Pinochet's. The communists take the life from the whole country.

[@oliverwortley3822]

what a fascinating hidden gem of a documentary. a documentary narrated and from the perspective of an actual leader and prime minister - that is very rare and unique. I thoroughly enjoyed this documentary and cannot believe I haven’t seen it before, or that it isn’t bigger.

[@naningakarunaratne3921]

This is indeed a real good documentary

[@justanotherguy469]

It was almost like a movie in its production value. Superb!

[@gabicalin6235]

You are right

[@blade0954]

superb

[@astritcana9624]

absolutely agree with you, this documentary its something unique. Regards from Kosovo

[@vauxpedia]

Miklós Németh was a man way ahead of his time and was very underrated by history for his contribution to Hungary. Great man & a great documentary!

[@balazs8330]

Na ja, az utolsó komcsi illetve első szoclib lakáj volt, aki végigutazta a nyugatot újabb hitelekért. Vadprivatizáció stb stb

[@oeleveoleve.7562]

@@balazs8330 that's the way it is. freedom is a matter of responsability. as mr gorvached said "he is a good man". he did what has to do. better the wild privatization that you can avoid, or not, than living in constantly fear....

[@blackhornetf]

​​​@@oeleveoleve.7562Correct the Soviet Union was one giant prison . It literally had prison walls 🧱 and barbwire fences with with armed officers patrolling the perimeters to keep its prison workers from escaping to freedom. It was literally a prison...that people literally risked there lives to escape from and a lot of people died escaping or were put inside a prison inside a prison if caught. It was a prison in every sense of the word and was the worlds largest prison complex 🌎 Everyone was given a life sentence and there only crime ? Been born inside a prison. In Soviet Union you are born prisoner and you die prisoner. Miklos Nemeth was a very good man and Mikhail Gorbachev deserves his Nobel peace prize x 1000000000000

[@WielkaStopa-qh1rr]

@@blackhornetf Your Gorbachev was commie with mission saving commie's empire. He had to fight his internal opposition and gave some liberalization but still commie is a commie and he tried to save the empire, not to dismantle it! You are praising a commie!

[@valeriys01]

​​​I was born in Soviet Union, lived there for 30 years. Apparently you've never been there and your opinion is shaped by the media that was available to you at the time. There was no barbed wire. You could travel anywhere in the country, you had subsidized meals for children, after hours school care, childcare, education, including unis was free and merit based. Yes, everyone was required to work to contribute to the greater society. Yes, it was a single party state, which i can't see much different to the party duopoly of the UK of US. I'm not concerned about being called the names, but Gorbachev and eltsin were absolute traitors who sold their country for fictitious democracy. I left the country in 90's on economic grounds. I am very happy where i am now, but I'm an exemption among other immigrants. Please learn more before demonizing the subject you're not familiar with. Good luck

[@innerlight7018]

I'm a german, 58 years old. And I, and I will tell my son to do so as well, will never forget what the people in Hungary, Poland and in the former DDR had done for us. Thank you.

[@marcelbork92]

Er ist ein armes Würstchen. Armes Deutschland.

[@pascalcoole2725]

Dutch, same age. I remember the night of Schabowski verry well. Gruss aus Holland

[@markzsurka1643]

Köszönjük 🙏

[@marcelbork92]

@@markzsurka1643 Ai FAK

[@artura3553]

I am 53 Polish. Thank you for your kind words. I do remember those times and my feeling that I will live in this nasty communism so long and it seemed we will never liberate from communism in Poland. Yes, there was Solidarity movement but then in 1981 this "state of war" introduced by government. The Polish nation tried to liberate but Russia and communist government seemed to stay like forever .... I am so glad time changed so much. I wish all countries to be free, especially Ukraine and Palestine.

[@Brandon-73109]

I really had no idea that the end of a short documentary would leave me teary eyed and happy for people I'd never met before, but in feeling that emotion is a clarity of seeing people experience the freedom to be truly human without consequence for the days after breaking away. God bless you.

[@garyakirsch]

Seems to me Americans are similarly trapped by a system hostile to the people.

[@SL89999]

I had the same feeling after visiting the terror museum in Budapest

[@justanotherguy469]

You should see the movie, The Lives of Others. The end will bring you to tears.

[@tesla6422]

It's easy to take freedom for granted. When you lose it, barely anything else matters.

[@Bulletguy07]

@@justanotherguy469 An excellent movie which I have on DVD. Another is the docu-drama, Sophie Scholl : The Final Days. An incredibly brave brother and sister whose names are much revered in todays Germany. It reduces me to tears each time and I've watched it many times.

[@jefflaitila9799]

I never knew Hungary was so instrumental in bringing about the downfall of the iron curtain. Thank you, the people of Hungary, for taking those first brave steps.

[@pascalcoole2725]

That's why this is a verry relevant documentary

[@gregwilliamson3001]

And now, look at the actions of their current leader. He would have it go back to the way it was, only with instructions from Putin

[@AbandonEarth911]

Yes the downfall of State Capitalism.

[@andrewpytko4773]

Them and Romania and Poland.

[@AF-tv6uf]

What I find interesting is that Hungary is basically how the postmodernist New Left came about. Disillusion among left-leaning intellectuals regarding the treatment of Hungary by the Soviets caused a rethinking of what it means to be 'left' in the West, and intellectuals found a new guiding light in people like Marcuse who saw the 'revolution' in social, rather than economic, terms. George Soros, the Big Name of the New Left, is Hungarian, a postmodern subversionist against both traditional values and old-fashioned socialism, and it's no surprise that he is both, given the history of Hungary.

[@pacifichistory703]

A brilliant piece of truth telling. Bravo to the entire TV documentary team...and the courageous people of Hungary.

[@charliejdk]

What a marvelous dramatic documentary! I intend to use it in class. Thank you.

[@valicerr]

One of the best documentaries I ever saw. Greetings from Romania!

[@rehr2]

Absolutely moving. Greetings from America. Those leaders in Hungary in 1989 were extremely brave.

[@MClark-kf9wq]

@@rehr2 This feature's a lie. Relax.

[@alexalexuss119]

​@@rehr2 subscriu! Foarte foarte tare documentarul...desi sunt convins ca imaginile sunt facute cu AI, totusi e foarte tare!

[@matthewesposito5177]

Oh come on Nicolae Ceausescu was one of the best leaders Romania ever had.

[@dragosionascu7971]

@@MClark-kf9wq just like your post.

[@64MDW]

On my block when I was growing up in the San Fernando Valley many years ago was a family that had escaped from Hungary during the 1956 Revolution. The father had bribed a border guard to let them across the border into Austria with their two young daughters. They all made it to the U.S. and became naturalized U.S. citizens. The Dad worked for Lockheed in Burbank as an aeronautical engineer for a number of years before he died, while his wife worked at the children's apparel shop my Mom managed. They detested the communists as they saw first hand the bitter truth about totalitarian socialism/communism. Very fine, decent people.

[@davidmcmartin6194]

Did they know the hungarian guy who ran Ottos convenient store down the road from Burroughs high school in burbank

[@Polit_Burro]

Probably just a couple of Arrow-Cross fascists

[@joposepef]

@@Polit_Burro Both Arrow-Cross fascists as well as COmmunist Bolsheviks were no different, they both did big harm to their compatriots. Fanatics are all the same.

[@Freyia935]

@@joposepef "Harm to their compatriots" Remind me again of the industrial war machine that profited off the middle east? Remind me again who ignored a EU and Russia agreement in Ukraine and decided to install its own government.... right... governments always cause harm, and the communists were the best at that.

[@UserName-q4i5d]

They escaped communism for another communist country. California is a commie stronghold now, we all can see how it's working out.

[@JimHopper]

This is a remarkable video - the title is misleading, but some of the footage in here is truly amazing! Thank you

[@markmaki4460]

Yes - the title can and should be changed. Were the documentary not as good as it is, i would give thumbs down for what is basically a lie or gross ignorance.

[@NGCS-ej4lz]

A lot of the footage looks as if it was extremely well done Artificial Intelligence. If true, that sets a dangerous precedent for the future of Historical Education.

[@T3DDY1997]

​@@NGCS-ej4lz I was thinking the same thing as i thought it strange for it to be voiced over - especially for someone that does not speak the language this can be very misleading.

[@lembitmoislane.]

@@NGCS-ej4lzit’s not AI. They mention specifically in the start that they used archived footage with dubbed over voices and sip synchronization.

[@WellHellooooThere]

My late grandpa was a Superintendent at the Nevada Test Site when the USSR fell. He was the designated "point man" for an entire entourage of Soviet officials who arrived on a Antonov An-225 Mriya to conduct inspections and make sure the US was adhering to the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT). Each Russian had a plain clothes Air Force OSI agent assigned to him that did not leave his side. Apparently the day the USSR fell, the Russians found out via a local newspaper. They ditched their handlers and went to get blackout drunk. The next day they boarded their Antonov and one of the officials turned to my grandpa and said, "We return to a country that no longer exists." Pretty crazy first-hand account!

[@Espiritu-o7x]

Down on the Ice (South Pole) when it was announced that the USSR is officially kaput the Soviet scientists sold off cases of vodka for 5.00 USD per case and furry hooded coats for 10.

[@stephenhawkins3316]

Who was the former Soviet Astronaught (sp) who's country flipped while he was in Space? Your story is interesting. It was a crack in time.

[@TABreckenbauer]

So cool is way this documentary is made. Good job

[@PatriciaPalmer-o3e]

❗My family cried when the wall went up, through all the years of gulags, escapes and defections. We cried when it came down. I was 42. Thank you 🍃

[@dragosionascu7971]

you mean when the wall went down!

[@PatriciaPalmer-o3e]

@dragosionascu7971 I MEANT when the wall was torn down.

[@PatriciaPalmer-o3e]

@dragosionascu7971 I MEANT when the wall was torn down.

[@AnonAnonAnon]

Miklós Németh's father was a very wise man. The world today needs people like him to show and tell us the error of Mankind's ways.

[@ww5302]

Poland in 1981 started this process. I was part of that process. I was arrested in 1982 , after Amnesty 1984, emigrated to Canada. In 2022, I received from Polish Gouverment status veteran. My conclusion to my life is to fight for freedom, You don't know WHAT IS FREEDOM , UNTIL YOU LOSE IT.

[@thecandyman9308]

I am sorry to inform you that although the existence you've enjoyed since arriving in your current nation, the same menace you fled from now populates the halls of Ottawa.

[@RitaGatton]

Thank you very much for your courage and the courage of all the Polish people, especially the members of Solidarnosc!

[@ww5302]

Thank you Rita. When you are fighting for freedom from Russia occupation and oppression you look what Russia did to Polish nation over centuries, you get soo angry and desperate to be finally free from that bondage

[@mapleveritas2698]

@@thecandyman9308 That is such a stupid statement to make.

[@ylaya5566]

Dziękuję za Twoją walkę i że mogę dziś być Polką w Polsce :)

[@TA-dg6tf]

What a wonderful documentary! I learned so much about the events preceding the fall of the Soviet Union. Thanks for sharing

[@AnonAnonAnon]

55:31 Erik worrying about his lifestyle being interrupted. Another communist conman. I was a British soldier in West Berlin in 1989. It was a very confusing time. We had 'trickles' of information coming through about Hungry and its border. We knew nothing about the leadership other than them being communists. I can still remember the news on the telly one evening that Hungry was dismantling its border with the West. This proved to be very interesting the next day in work. What will the Soviets do about this. The coming weeks we heard rumours of Warsaw Pact countries turning on each other, against Hungry and Poland. And again, I remember there wasn't much happening our side, no NATO alerts, no alerts in West Berlin, just a quietness about the whole thing, maybe because we were all worried in case Russia intervened, what would be the consequences of a Russian attack on Hungry and Poland? What would happen in East Germany? Then more news of Hungry allowing East Germans to leave for the West unhindered, then a change of leadership in East Germany. In my unit, we had on display an intelligence noticeboard. The reason was because there was a build up of East Germany and Russian military near checkpoints dotted around West Berlin. The intelligence briefs gave almost an hour by hour breakdown on what was happening at the border between West Berlin and East Berlin/Germany. Is this the start of an invasion into West Berlin? Then November the 9th came, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. The East German military started knocking through the Wall and fence to create more crossing points. New Years Eve 1989, proud to have climbed the Wall and dropped down into the Eastern side and partied under the Brandenburg Gate with East Germans! There is a lesson in all this. Brave men and women make decisions that can change the course of history. These men and women are badly needed today in 2024.

[@LtColwtf]

Well said.

[@misterwhipple2870]

What do you expect from Honyocker, a man who tongued Brezhnev, and who probably had his thumb up his ass when he did it?

[@EdMcF1]

Indeed. I remember at the time discussing this with a friend, we were puzzled by Hungary (who had had their first Formula 1 race as early as 1988) and I said 'What if they are doing this to let the tanks through more easily?'. Glad that I had simply over-thought the situation.

[@Polit_Burro]

LOL enjoy your own con-men back home, Lammy mammy

[@Mujangga]

"These men and women are badly needed today in 2024." The government you served has replaced them with "Newcomers."

[@annemcleod8505]

Excellent. We knew it was the opening of the Hungarian border to GDR citizens that was the first step in the fall of the Iron Curtain, but this film fills in the context and final stages of this momentous development from the Hungarian perspective. Brilliant use of archival footage, reconstructions and interview with Nemeth himself. A very rare treat.

[@pdoylemi]

Their Prime Minister had steel balls. In any other era, he would have been dead.

[@dichebach]

Wow! This is such a FANTASTIC piece of work! Well done!

[@Akos0001]

I was born in 1953 in an industrial neighborhood in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Our neighborhood was home to a large community of immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe, including Hungarian families. I heard their stories about how they fled the communist dictatorship after the 1956 uprising, and in 1989, with the fall of the Berlin Wall, I was able to witness the joy and happiness of some friends, with whom I still have contact. How wonderful it is to be able to visit our homeland free from oppression.

[@007romryan]

Great documentary. I was 12 years old at the time. I lived in Romania in the early 2000's, so I got interested in the Eastern Bloc countries history. This is a real gem of a documentary!

[@1984isnotamanual]

It is great. I’m an American and was born in 94 so the world of communism is alien to me. I’m so fascinated, and horrified, by this history.

[@dragosionascu7971]

@@1984isnotamanual yeah. learn it well, so your generation doesn't fall for fake s h i t and repeat it!

[@1984isnotamanual]

@@dragosionascu7971 I can’t speak for my generation but believe me I would die fighting in the streets to keep my country from becoming a totalitarian hellhole.

[@arturwojtas1235]

​@@1984isnotamanualPozdrawiam z Polski.

[@1984isnotamanual]

@@arturwojtas1235 I cant google translate that for some reason. I’m pretty sure the last word is Polish but otherwise I don’t know.

[@neilcowmeadowguitartuition2230]

WOW! I was blown away by this film - it chimes with everything I heard whilst working in Eastern Europe in the early 90s, and the empty shops footage took me back to Warsaw in '91/2

[@Tobi-ln9xr]

The title is misleading. The documentary isn’t about the fall of the USSR but about the political turmoil in Hungary at the end of the Cold War… And the reasons and origins why it "betrayed“ the East German government.

[@jojor9766]

Not really. The Hungarians through their actions set off the revolutions across Eastern Europe. This is what forced Russia to withdraw. The loss of Eastern Europe was a big part of the motivation for the plotters of the coup against Gorbachev. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. This was the first step.

[@Tobi-ln9xr]

@@jojor9766 You see it a bit too centralized than it was. There was no "loss of Eastern Europe“ for the Soviets (The Soviet Union wasn’t Russia, Russia was also "just“ a republic in the Soviet Union) Many communist/socialist dictatorships in Eastern Europe had, apart from receiving economic support from the USSR, relative independence in terms of foreign policy and domestic policy. And Hungarys actions also didn’t set of the uprisings and revolutionary movements in the communist and socialist countries. The demonstrations and social unrests in East Germany were already ongoing (or why do you think were East German refugees in Hungary in the first place?) And the East German government was the only communist/socialist country which refused to implement political and social reforms. Gorbachev himself for example was really disappointed and almost angry at the East German government and their strict policies and political hardliners.

[@Tobi-ln9xr]

@@jojor9766 And what do you mean by "forced Russia to withdraw“ Withdrawing what?

[@willbass2869]

​​@@Tobi-ln9xrI can't speak for jorjor but I think the Soviets were "forced" to withdraw because they didn't want to be caught in the middle of possible violent actions by the people vs the govts of GDR & Poland. The days of Soviet/ Warsaw Pact intervention lije in '56 & '68 were over

[@jojor9766]

The Soviet Union was nothing but the Russian Empire under new management. Some of the lesser peoples of the Empire were given their own pretend republics but that was in hope of quieting them down and encouraging them to accept their dhimmi status better. The Soviets always put a local in the First Secretary position as the face of a local running the government. The Second Secretary was invariably Russian. That way the puppet had a ready handler and the local was always available if a fall guy was needed. Before you mention that Stahlin was a Georgian, remember Catherine was a German. Both proved that they embraced Russian culture with their ruthless climb to the top and were accept by and are still revered by the Russians. Maybe, when Putin collapses the country yet again, the Russians will jettison their ruthless imperialism. That is funny that the Soviet Union was giving aid to Eastern Europe. The only 'aid" was Russian tanks and Russian soldiers ready to give them the Russian boot if they misbehaved. At some point everyone got a reminder of who the masters were. Nagy and Dubcek both got a real feeling of the independence of the Warsaw Pact colonies. The social unrest was everywhere in Eastern Europe and not just East Germany. Nemeth himself was only chosen in hopes of stemming an uprising in Hungary. I am sure that the party hardliners desperately wanted to make good on their threats to him but knew that they would not survive the resulting revolution. You might want to look at Romania before saying that East Germany was alone in not reforming as if the reforms made any difference. Like the Soviet Union these dictatorships were way past their sale by date. Good riddance to bad rubbish all around.

[@Rai-Bulgaria]

I wish more Bulgarians would watch this doc. There's way too much nostalgia for Communist Bulgaria and its failed economy.

[@moviedofamily]

A remarkable video, so many thanks for uploading. It is an amazing slice in the history of the Cold War I strongly recommend. Echoing the comments below, the quality of video and audio involving the conversations between the actual Communist leaders surprised me and makes me feel it should be required viewing for anyone interest in the "inner workings" behind the collapse of the Eastern Bloc.

[@Trzysetny]

I remember that time. Just turned 10 that year and it was like the biggest birthday present ever. A gift that still keeps on giving❤

[@1984isnotamanual]

God I was born in 1994. I can’t imagine the joy in seeing so much human liberation, in your country and else where. ❤from California

[@Aaronsl-202]

BRILLIANT documentary and story. Brought chills and tears to my eyes. What a wonderful man.

[@martinroyal1319]

This documentary is quite brilliant. Well-done. And, Miklos Nemeth, thank you for your vision, tenacity and integrity. I very much hope your father resumed speaking to you

[@kchall5]

This was fascinating. It was almost like Gorbachev, Honecker, and Kohl were appearing in person in some political reality show.

[@romanmatuszewski6445]

BARDZO DZIĘKUJĘ ZA TEN FILM. JEST CUDOWNY .JESTEŚCIE WSPANIALI. BARDZO DZIĘKUJĘ.

[@woollygoat8921]

Watching the Berlin Wall come down in 1989 is one of the core memories of my early childhood.

[@williamharris9525]

This documentary is very well done and packed with a lot of information I was not even aware of. I was stationed with the army up on the Czechoslovakian, West German border in 1989 when the fence came down. We were some of the first troops to see Czech civilians and east German civilians come across the fence line without getting shot. There is a lot of things going on behind the scenes in the eastern bloc that we only heard bits and pieces about and weren’t even made aware of until years after the fence came down.

[@Tacidian-o1r]

Being stationed at the Bavarian Forest, seeing the Iron Curtain falling in onto itself right in front of you, must've felt unreal. Thank you for your service.

[@tomkoo]

Kindly reminder, first free elections (partly free) has been processed in Poland at 04-06-1989. I watched this movie and there is no even a word about what happened in Poland. Remember, Lech Walesa does not received Nobel prize for no reason.

[@neerajwa]

Humanity owes so much to Gorbachev. Salute.

[@tombergins8215]

Absolutely Excellent Documentary. I remember those days Now I know more of how it happened Thank you.

[@AliMihrali]

This is the best documentarial narration of a momentous event I've ever watched. Bravo!

How was this filmed? The sound and picture quality and editing are excellent considering the technology of the time and place.

[@Full-Moon-Mustang]

It's a reenactment in some parts and some are footage of different situations

[@AsYm-PtOtiC]

i was amazed at that too... best "real" doco I ever seen

[@jimmyflawless]

I suspect some of the footage of the real people involved (eg Gorbachev etc) have been dubbed.

[@kate2create738]

It honestly makes me wonder if certain parts were using AI, I could be wrong though.

[@PatoneLol]

​@@kate2create738it's from 2014 so no AI there

[@Kitsok]

This part of history was unknown to me. Thank you!!

[@donnied9432]

Never could figure why if it's such a workers paradise, why are people always risking their lives to get out .

[@kchall5]

It was a workers' paradise for the party bosses, their loyal apparatchiks and chosen others such as athletes, musicians and academics, whose job it was to show off their considerable talents as a way of demonstrating to the decadent West the virtues of their socialist utopia. Everyone else, not so much.

[@tfa8]

And they even built a wall around this "workers paradise" - not to keep the bad imperialist out, no - to keep their own people locked in...

[@Krieky]

Reliving the momentous events of 1988-89 was truly fascinating! I must admit it, I choked up a few times watching this!

[@TheKmunjal]

This is one of the greatest documentaries ever made, amazing watch!

[@johnallen7807]

An excellent documentary and a salutary reminder of what life under Communism means, Thank you.

[@davor9217]

Ignorant comment. You have never experienced life under communism. Why talk about it? Come to some of the former socialist countries. What you will find is that most od the people from the older generation that have actually experienced it MISS the system.

[@FreeMind...]

​@@davor9217Have you experienced life under communism? Your comment is ignorant too then. Have you ever thought why people from old generations didn't do anything to prevent the fall of communism in their countries in the late 1980's? Do you know what is going on in the world today? Have you heard anything about China? They have changed course. North Korea on the other continues in the same path with disastrous results. Would you like to live in North Korea? 😂😂😂 I' m sure you won't.

[@alexzhangdragonn3438]

​@@FreeMind...China and North Korea aren't communist

[@davor9217]

@@FreeMind... my parents and grandparents have and no, they could not do anything to prevent it because its much bigger than them. US imperialism led to the fall of communist states with massive funding in NGOs and propaganda machines like radio free europe

[@davor9217]

@@FreeMind... i would love to live in China and as a matter of fact i have visited it. You should too before making such stupid comments

[@scottrobinson3281]

The late 1980's was an amazing time in world history, where the relationship between Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan and Maggie Thatcher led to the end of the Cold War. The world is sadly lacking in great leaders like them today.

[@marcinelsanescobar9656]

Szkoda, że nikt nie wspomniał o Czechosłowacji i Polsce w pamiętnym dla Węgier okresie Rewolucji w 1956r., gdy Polska wysłała pomoc humanitarną koleją. Dużą część tej pomocy stanowiły zapasy krwi, które to uległy zepsuciu, gdyż władze Czechosłowacji zatrzymały na granicy polsko-czechosłowackiej wspomniany transport.

[@michaelspyker8390]

What a hidden gem of a doc... Guy was a hero and it was a blessing hearing his accounts first hand. Thank you guys for putting this together

[@arthur-qm8qs]

Interesting. A well put documentary. Something I didn't know about the fall of the soviets

[@samipetkannen2226]

Doc was all about Hungary and not USSR

[@arthur-qm8qs]

@samipetkannen2226 yeah I saw it. Ultimately it was about Hungary triggering fall of soviets genius

[@tfa8]

​@@samipetkannen2226Gorbachev was more as once documented how he interacted with Hungary in 1989.

[@guesswho2378]

Absolutely stunning, goose-bump inducing documentary. I learned, remembered, so much that I had forgotten during that time. Thank you so much for this.

[@dylantaljaard6886]

Excellent documentary. I always wondered what was going on in Hungary at that time. Thanks for the information.

[@REDRAWVISIONS]

That was just so well created and produced - seamless!! The topic was perfect.

[@warriorlink8612]

I was 6 years old and living in West Germany in 1989. My father was stationed at the US airforce base, to help reinforce military logistics around the East/West German border. We lived in West Germany from 1985 - 1989. In November, when the Berlin Wall fell, there was celebrations all over base housing. Everyone knew they were going home soon. The curtain had fallen. Liberty and Freedom had won in the end.

[@aleksanderrzepka5648]

Nie znałem tej historii Premiera Węgier, odważnego człowieka, ale przez przypadek 09/10.11.1989 roku byłem w Berlinie Zachodnim, jak rozbierano Mur Berliński. Nie zapomnę tej radości mieszkańców NRD, na ich twarzach, i tej imprezy powitalnej po stronie Berlińczyków z RFN. Tak była historia, i nikt już tego nie zmieni. Od nas, Polaków , to się zaczęło, o tym należy pamiętać.

[@ph3733]

I was 18 and served in the East German Army near Berlin. We were scared to death that we had to control our own people. I was sitting twice on a truck in combat uniform ready to be dispatched with others. 12 long hours. I’m so lucky and grateful to all players to keep a cool head. My life took a turn for the better and I cherish freedom forever. I’m a dual American-German citizen and can live and work in the EU and the US whenever I want. I couldn’t have never imagined that as an 18 year old back then. I am one of the luckiest people on this planet. Thank you Hungary. Thank you Mr Gorbatchev and thank you, freedom loving people of East and West Germany.

[@Tacidian-o1r]

Hat sich doch alles zum Besseren gewandelt, wa?

[@robloxgamer-kq3dm]

I wish you a good life, it’s November 11th today and I’m in Canada, lest we forget

[@78NAIMAD]

First Thank You Poland

[@personbelowmeisadumbass8891]

For 3 million german genosyd?You stole our lands ​@@78NAIMAD

[@dogukanozkan4499]

Amazing documentary!! Very powerful

[@Brittjones]

This was fantastic….I remembered this PM’s voice from the CNN documentary on the cold war

[@easy1355]

I don't normally watch these types of docu's but this was excellent, informative and so well put together,

[@McRocket]

I greatly enjoyed and was fascinated by this film/documentary. Thank you. ☮

[@myriaddsystems]

How did they manage to make this documentary, it's just stunning in it's immersive sense of reality...

[@ashleyupshall7641]

Excellent doc. Thanks for posting.

[@dustbowlhammer7119]

This video brought a tear to my eye, as I was so young back in 89. Unable to understand the profound human triumph that liberated so many. But now I fully understand, Keep spreading the truth!

[@Michael45007]

Thank God USSR fell. USSR regime was terrible for the people.

[@Comm-dn8nm]

99 процентов всего что сейчас есть в России - было построено при СССР. Школы, больницы, дороги, атомные станции, гидроэлектростанции, газовые и нефтяные месторождения - это все советское. Вы, либерасты, со своими ельциными и путиными за тридцать пять лет вашей поганой власти так ничего и не построили.

[@HenryJames-q6t]

Wow this was well done. Well written, well edited. Kudos.

[@SC-re8qr]

Amazing documentary.

[@harvindersingharora3845]

Thank you Best Documentary team for such wonderful documentary. Love ❤from Hyderabad, India 🇮🇳

[@Everyman.0314]

The title of your channel says it all, 'Best documentary. ' This one in particular, woke me up from a 30 year slumber to remind me how much I loved European history. The fall of the Berlin Wall is the watershed event cited by most for the collapse of Communism. It may be from some historical perspective. But it was Hungary -the big, fat, first domino, and the relationship b/w Gorbachev and the H. PM, that set the whole thing in motion. The reenactments were so helpful. The transcripts of those conversations seemed authentic?

[@PiotrMichalski-fh4mn]

A co z Polską ? Co z Solidarnością ? To Polska była pierwsza w rozmontowywaniu systemu komunistycznego w Europie. Nic jednak nie byłoby możliwe bez zgody Sowietów, którzy po prostu nie byli już w stanie finansowo utrzymać swojego imperium.

[@anim7991]

@@PiotrMichalski-fh4mn Piotrek nie ważne kto był pierwszy, kto działał mocniej, szybciej - ważne że to już przeszłość dzięki naszej wspólnej pracy.

[@PiotrMichalski-fh4mn]

@@anim7991 Niestety przyjacielu, ale to nie jest przeszłość. Komunizm wraca w postaci zielonego ładu, zrównoważonego rozwoju i innych bzdur. Każdy pretekst jest dobry, aby ponownie zniewolić ludzi. Jeśli jesteś Węgrem, serdecznie Cię pozdrawiam, jeśli nie, oczywiście również mam dla Ciebie ogromny szacunek. W każdym razie chciałbym powiedzieć, że Węgry mają mądrego przywódcę, ponieważ mają mądry naród. W przeciwieństwie do współczesnych Polaków, którzy sami wybierają jak nie sługi banderowskiej Ukrainy, to Volksdeutschów Tuska... Serce się kraje, co się stało z dumnym niegdyś, bohaterskim narodem polskim.

[@tomparatube6506]

Pretty amazing how the film makers found these footages. Amazing. Thank you so much! 👌👌

[@samuelpo3378]

I really need to look more into this because i'm embarrassed I don't know much about such a huge event in world history which happened so recently

[@RitaGatton]

Also look into how the Poles fought Communism from August 1980 to 1989, when the Polish Communist government agreed to share power with the anti-Communist Solidarsnosc movement.

[@ShanM-vf7eo]

I learnt something new today - thankyou for posting . . ..

[@HellStr82]

Crazy that i lived to all of this and seen it happened. Now i look at Europe as a man born in Romania in 1980 .. i mean i have seen Ceausescu in a visit to my home town of Hunedoara...and know how it was like back then and see it all now...i have no words to describe how i feel. the young of today will never really understand what they have and appreciate it to the right value.

[@spartacusronas]

I am embarrassed to say I had quite forgotten the key role Hungary played in the freedom movement. Great documentary

[@KeenlyJohnas]

Nemeth had balls! Real balls! That time was dark and people were just replaceable. He had to thread such a narrow path…I was 10 years old in Bulgaria in 1989 and we were also seeing how our first secretary was getting older and was loosing power - it was all just about to crumble. And in the 1990 - there was a public gathering in Sofia - some estimates were 1.5 million people (from a 9mil country) - you can imagine…

[@marklowe4431]

An excellent documentary! Greetings from South Africa.

[@jamesscott6917]

A man of courage. He’s telling his side, true, but it takes a steel spine to make change from the inside.

[@Tacidian-o1r]

How was your time as an MP in Berlin?

[@jamesscott6917]

@ My friend, it was the most fun and interesting time I think I have ever had. I’m a history geek and that city is just packed. I got to work Check Point Charlie and Bravo, I stood on the line at Freedom Bridge. It was epic. I left just a couple of years before the Wall came down.

[@majoinerful]

Thank you for uploading!!!

[@brianmutcher9585]

Great documentary it was certainly worth watching

[@rossmunro7084]

I Just have to say thank you for putting this doc here. It is a very powerful and meaningful one :)

[@kennethocongerskin9460]

Fantastic documentary 👍👍

[@liberty_and_justice67]

Fascinating and inspiring🎉

[@fredtorres1703]

Thank you. An important doc.

[@beckysam3913]

A brilliant and excellent documentary, very well done and produced! I felt completely immersed and even knowing how history played out, I felt like being part of this video and going through each significant historical events for first time. Bravo for the Hungarian people and Mr. Nemeth! I watched a lot of documents concerning fall of soviet regime and eastern block, but never watch this. So thanks for uploading!

[@bodyloverz30]

This was a "domino effect," for the rest of the Eastern Block & the Soviet Union itself.

[@brianelliott9861]

An exceptional video - it's amazing that this material survived or ever existed .

[@jamesc.7990]

This is an excellent documentary. I am well-read in history, especially European history and some Russian history. I had no idea that the collapse of the Soviet Union started in Hungary, none whatsoever. However, I did know that it was rooted in money, which is the same thing that precipitated events in Hungary. Gorbachev was a hero. But this man Nemeth was most definitely a hero as well.

[@justanotherguy469]

You have to go a step further, to fully understand. If everything is rooted in money, as you have stated, would it not make sense to understand how money, in its form at the time, began?

[@jdocean1]

I was able to visit East Berlin in the summer of 1990 as a young American exchange student. A lady let us stay a night at her apartment and was gracious enough to leave us a piece of the wall from the eastern side. No graffiti on it. It still sits on my dad’s fireplace mantle to this day.

[@johnfortune9190]

Excellent documentary.

[@bogdandiaconu6607]

This is the kind of history lesson pupils should have learn in schools. I'll make sure to pass this to my boy at the right age.

[@cinciala]

Excellent piece

[@drew13191111]

this is such a great documentary!!!! So interesting and well done!

[@TheForbinExperiment]

The quality and COVERAGE of the documentary footage here is extraordinary. I had no idea so much “behind-the-scenes” material was captured.

[@NinoMaartenGuitar]

the ''behind the scenes'' material is AI

[@exphila]

@@NinoMaartenGuitar this doc is from 2014, I don't think AI was able to do this back then. I think the voices are dubbed. For Honecker the voice doesn't match with the way his mouth moves. I think they used other video material and put the voice over it.

[@Militaria_Collector]

Absolutely one of the best documentaries in recent memory.

[@MontyGumby]

so the scenes (like the conversation between Gorbachev and Nemeth) are mostly reconstructed from unrelated clips ?

[@ManDuderGuy]

Im confused as well.

[@Consulart77]

Yes, nobody was allowed to film such meetings outside of the party apparatchiks and in case they were filmed, they were never published. Most of these meetings were secret to start with. It was a state secret that Hungary had nuclear weapons on its territory, nobody knew that. The Soviet troops in Hungary also far out outnumbered 80.000, as mentioned in the documentary-they were rather close to 500.000 and there were at least 35 Russian military bases in that small country.

[@mikethespike7579]

I've seen loads of documentaries about those times, about how the Berlin Wall came to fall. But this is something I didn't know much about. The precision is amazing. I speak German and can therefore appreciate just how precise the documentary got Erich Honecker's and Helmut Kohl's voices right. I could have had my eyes closed and still would have recognised their voices. Of course, the title here is misleading. It isn't about the fall of the Soviet Union, it's about the first beginnings that finally led to its fall.

[@shashibhushan815]

I was one of the Mauerspechte and remember it for ever.

[@mikethespike7579]

@@shashibhushan815 Thank for sharing. I was also there, even stood for a couple hours on the wall drinking Sekt until the East German guards sprayed us away with water hoses.

[@shashibhushan815]

I hung around to collect some Gestein for my very senior german friends at home town, they could never make it. I belted out Schiller's Ode an die Freude for them. Those were romantic times.

[@foreignofficeclub5815]

What an incredible documentary with so much amazing footage.

[@hyacinthusorientalis8546]

great documentary

[@TheOfficial007]

That's an incredible way of reproducing the meetings between those historical figures. Just amazing.

[@ThePomidor000]

Amazing footage. Thank you for this. I never knew this about Hungary. Now with Viktor Orban there with his prorussian talk. It is nearly unbelievable, how they got to this trap again.

[@rasalexoo]

One of the few times I watched a documentary perplexed from the beginning to the end. A hidden great story told in a great way.

[@TheBookofTruth-fn1bh]

"The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money." - Margaret Thatcher

[@Michael45007]

She wouldn't be saying that if she saw what China is today. Or Norway which has huge surplus. Or seeing that USA is drowning in 30 trillion dollar debt.

[@nikhilannur]

The same happened to England?

[@wilsoncipriano]

@@Michael45007 Ainda sim com ''dividas INTERNAS'', grande divisão interna, problemas na indústria e comercio assim como a diplomacia mundo afora, os EUA ainda são a maior economia do mundo, enquanto a China, precisa manter um ritmo insano ano após ano, para se manter ligeiramente próxima aos americanos e mesmo assim tudo precisa ficar exatamente assim, para que em uns 20 ou 30 anos os chineses se estabeleçam acima dos americanos.

[@shashibhushan815]

She cited from UK's own and rich experience of running out of India's wealth during colonial times.

[@tfa8]

The Soviets lied all the time, secretly deploying nuclear war heads in Hungary.

[@gabrielariasluna8442]

fantastic documentary! Thank you very much for sharing!

[@HistoryOfRevolutions]

Time and time again a "superpower" is humbled by God. But people do not learn from history

[@pedenmk]

No they sure don't.

[@xxxxxxxxxx02]

So true

[@colintechnics]

God has nothing to do with it, ordinary people made this possible

[@ronin3782]

What does this nonsense even mean 😆

[@goatdongs]

No, it wasn’t god you religious wackjob. Thou shalt keep thy religion to thyself.

[@Tacidian-o1r]

Excellent documentary and a big thank you to Miklós Németh.