Muddling through with money and morals
The certainties of the two sides in the debate on morality and free markets are misplaced, writes Michael Skapinker. Regulation provides the middle way
After the Berlin wall: Europe 20 years on
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Germany celebrates the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall which led to reunification and the eventual collapse of the Soviet empire
Mafia rushed through gap in Berlin Wall
The collapse of the Soviet bloc was seen as an enormous buying opportunity for organised Italy-based crime groups, which saw the dawn of a “world without frontiers” for their activities
The ordinary recall the extraordinary
As fireworks erupted above the Brandenburg Gate tens of thousands of Berliners and visitors recalled the moment 20 years ago when a wall was breached and a people set free
World leaders mark fall of Berlin Wall
World leaders called for a new spirit of co-operation in tackling the challenges of the 21st century, from climate change to poverty and economic turbulence, as they met in Berlin to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall
FT archives: reports on the fall of the wall
News stories, features and comment pieces from the FT archives show how the paper covered the historic events of November 1989
Collectors leave no stone unturned
Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the desire to own a concrete reminder of the capital’s painful, divided past shows little sign of abating
Spirit of Berlin Wall lives on in Seoul
Living in South Korea’s capital, you need no symbols to remind you of the cold war, which is still a reality only 30 miles away, on the world’s most militarised border
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Berlin Wall: an interactive timeline
The Financial Times explores how the division of Germany led to the building of the wall, its progress as a structure and its celebrated dismantling.
Comment & Analysis
Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive
East European states have worked wonders in establishing democracy where it had barely existed. But they must do more to deal with the baleful legacy of communism, build trust in public institutions and fight corruption
Human rights are the highest form of realism
States like Iran, Cuba, Zimbabwe and Burma, which are hostile to human dignity, may look stable, but they are actually rotting inside – for they have only fear and force to sustain them, and people will not be afraid forever, writes John McCain
The Wall may have fallen but not enough changed
Two decades on, Germany is still grinding through the problems thrown up by reunification. That does not detract from what was a wonderful moment and a joy to witness, writes Frederick Studemann
Failure of imagination
After the wall: East Berliners’ push for freedom 20 years ago started a process that spread across the world – but lost chances mean reforms to global governance are only now being pondered, writes Quentin Peel
A misreading of the past holds a lesson for future
Thatcher and Mitterrand’s opposition to German reunification is one example of world leaders misreading the future at the end of the Cold War. The fear that the collapse of communism would see a return to the power politics of a century earlier proved unfounded, writes Philip Stephens
Gorbachev was key in freeing eastern Europe
Most Russians regard Gorbachev as the traitor who destroyed a superpower, but the country’s historians will come to interpret his role more kindly, writes Rodric Braithwaite
Recalling East Berlin 20 years on
Tony Barber looks back at how he reported the crisis engulfing the Communist regime and its downfall
Unification blues
London and Paris did everything they could to discourage and resist German unification. They were powerless to prevent it. There are important lessons to learn from their failure
More stories
The Wall may have fallen but not enough changed
Still it was a wonderful moment and a joy to witness, writes Frederick Studemann
Painful legacy fails to dim faith in market
E Europe still wedded to liberal economics
Fast learners profited from freed hands
How E European entrepreneurs seized chances
East and west German differences remain
Demographic data reveal continuing gulf
Economic parity remains German dream
Gap between east and west could widen again
Reunification legacy erodes appetite for EU
Merkel set to win second term as chancellor
Paris feared new Germany after reunification
Mitterrand warned Thatcher after fall of wall
Capitalism blamed for new Berlin divide
Safety fears shut capital’s railway links
