pic of berlin wall courtesy of:
Turley‑Fall‑of‑the‑Berlin‑Wall.png / nocaptionneeded.com
pic of Mikhail Gorbachev courtesy of: top-people.starmedia.com
The Berlin Wall tears war torn Germany farther apart. The edification of this concrete enforced wall, reveals the very real separation of the world’s views. Because of the large gap in opinions, the world stands still. Frozen in the cold war. In a nation in which exile and “mysterious” disappearances are common to those who voice their opinions too loudly; the Soviet Union’s Mikhail Gorbachev states, “Surely, God on high has not refused to give us enough wisdom to find ways to bring us an improvement in relations between the two great nations on the earth.” Gorbachev’s courage, despite the personal risk, still stands as an example to the world today.
Gorbachev gained favor within the communist party very young in his life. He supported the principles of equality within the party, however Gorbachev saw the blind-spots in the communistic view. He hungered for further equality, this hunger as a result of the government caused “Soviet Famine” in 1932. In which the number of people in his village, and his family, were cut in half. Gorbachev chose to use that as fuel instead of the dampened towel that it was. Gorbachev took courage and took action.
Gorbachev worked tirelessly to restore peace and tranquility to a hostile world. He started by resolving many major issues with other world powers, such as the United States. Proposing a halt to the nuclear arms race. Gorbachev proposed a reduction of fifty percent to all nuclear arms arsenals. In a world that nations could not put their guard down, Gorbachev tied his hands behind his back. One of his most memorable actions was the tearing down of the Berlin Wall. By doing so Gorbachev reunited a nation and restored natural freedoms to a people. As a result of so much change, Gorbachev successfully dissolved the Soviet Union and solidified a democracy in it’s place. Because one man chose the optimistic path, growing from what was meant to destroy. Gorbachev found enough hope to envision a better world, which many were left to enjoy.
The Definition of Defiance 
