I slipped through the fall of the berlin wall. The fall of the berlin wall didnt surprise me i dont know what happened 10 years before. Im no. Longer feel i am sitting in this chair. Dad of youd be no repetition of 56. 00. If you dont learn to make revolutions. I miss that class for me for. Him to the man yeah. I dont know how many people right now would be happy if the iron curtain were dismantled today like it was 30 years ago. That would have been in. The wall was not a purely german affair it was 7000 kilometers long and divided europe from the arctic to the black sea our journey starts on the baltic coast and leads via don scan eastern poland to warsaw berlin and leipsic. Then we had to prague and some villages in bohemia and then on to vote have passed on the Border Crossing said and it was. Our journey ends just short of the black sea in bucharest we begin and the old downs shipyard. The fall of the wall began 500 kilometers from berlin and get done and this hangar built before the 1st world war to store torpedoes the funny distant. This in conspicuous building really doesnt look like a place that made World History here in the summer of 1980 after an 18 day long strike is where solidarity was born im. Like. Solidarity polands 1st independent trade union began here at what was then called Lenin Shipyard a busy operation even today solidarity still has its European Headquarters right in the middle of the yard. This is where we meet. Who is as big nations has ever even the former Shipyard Workers t. Shirt is a statement aimed at the current polish government constitution it says. Lead solidarity went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize and became the 1st democratically elected president of poland. Treasure you know i grew up without a father. Who would have taken care of me. And i would probably have become a director of the shipyard and not just a worker. But i had what it took. I dont know so i became an electrician but one who fought the managers and became famous. And now you wonder was that a good thing or bad thing. Because in 1981 said join the workers strike and quickly became their leader. They were protesting against unachievable quotas empty shops and hazardous working conditions. After 18 days the communist government caved in. This is about when says surrounded by communist functionaries the only one without a tie or Party Membership but with nerves of steel and his giant penned sign the agreement. The ordinary workers had won it was a sensational victory the monolithic party would now have to share power. And one officially declared the strike over the assembled worlds press cheered. Solidarity the 1st Free Trade Union in the eastern bloc was born thanks. But. Feel technically we had solidarity brought about the fall of the wall. But the whole World Leaders at that time had seen that communism was coming to an end. In the end the time was simply ripe for change though Margaret Thatcher chancellor. President s reagan and maternal and the pope were all working in their own way to bring down the iron curtain 1st says the british myth and thats what we managed to do. And what was your role i joined them. The year before for the 1st time in history a paul had also become pope. John paul the seconds words do not fear if you want to change your life acted like a wake up call when the pope visited his homeland 10000000 people turned out to see him. First the era of communism was coming to an end thanks in part to solidarity. By him too much but todays poland is deeply divided in spring 2019 solidarity celebrated 30 years of the round table another democratic polish agreement with this container in front of its store but there were no congratulations from the National Conservative government it was busy helping people like farmer albert good left ski we are now in eastern poland where most people are churchgoers with big families. Here and ship you talk a village of 2000 inhabitants everyone votes for the governing conservative party piece. They keep their promises says boo lecky which is new for poland and that starts with the piglets nothing good knowledge. Of the i voted piece in 2015. I will continue to do so because i believe they will do everything they can to keep the villages in poland strong. Policy. Soon the value of a pig will increase to 100. 00 slots. For the 1000 pigs like the blade left skis have this is the equivalent of 25000. 00 euros for this farming family but the peace government isnt just a boon for animal rears the Famous Family 500. 00 plus Program Brought them to power in 2015508 month for the 2nd and every consecutive child this is what the catholic farmers like and its helped many people get off their knees as they say in poland thats not saying we notice it in our pockets we use this money for our children spend if it for extra lessons or private lessons and holidays yeah the hours that that as of our current c. M. The money from the state which itself receives many subsidies from the European Union has made their lives easier but the blood less skis are no longer grateful for the fall of the iron curtain. They believe their old hero but when betrayed them by entering into a pact with the communists or not when the ones i was president he invited Foreign Investors to poland. Now come to trash it that was perhaps the order of the day back then but there was too much of it too much of poland was being sold off. As unfortunately the peace party put a brake on it sure polands capital warsaw. As a city of Global Corporations and skyscrapers a typical big metropolis anyone who was last here when the iron curtain came down certainly wouldnt recognize the city now. Price so we asked by one so what he thinks of all the german car makers chinese banks and American Business consultants. Has poland sold out. Those must have cost them even though this is another world its an open world. Where anyone who has the initiative and money and power can take what he wants. And thats no good. There are no rules we have been after 100 years itll probably settle down or 3 get back in shape you told theres an agricultural exhibition. The state doesnt pay subsidies for horses yet but it does for cattle. Places like this are a celebration of rural poland. But less keys are proud of polands new prosperity and that it can compete with europe at least in the agricultural sector. Although they vote conservative they can still take the united europe they live in today for granted a huge change from 30 years ago. The establishment of a trade union and the port city of dons who was the 1st domino that gradually brought down the wall between east and west. Next stop berlin which was then still a divided city and then life the birthplace of east germanys peaceful revolution. Little remains of the berlin wall just a few bits of art in some patches of grass. These men were born in the g. D. R. And played a part in the walls to mine on the left on the un and east german journalist who was in exile in west berlin ensured that the protests in the east made the news on the right is on the face cost who demonstrated for freedom when it was still very dangerous of this condition. It was what the people achieved people managed to overthrow a dictatorship we can be proud of that we can build on that the small problems we have today are nothing compared to that. But photographer and as a post from life sees things very differently he documented the collapse of the system in east germany and his pictures remind us of just how quickly german unification occurred and how it was rather like a surrender of the east. The west wasnt interested in learning from the east or taking anything over the citizens of the g. D. R. Lost their jobs and the ground beneath their feet. You know the we ourselves no longer had any confidence in the east west german milk was better than east german milk same thing for sugar and the same for people as well. Hordes of west germans swarmed in with their not always welcome cultural differences beauty pageants were banned in the g. D. R. But one took place just 2 months after the fall of the wall in leipzig. As adamas. At the time i was shocked how a body could be exploited by capitalism who would be copied to list this for the up to 2 words. When he said no when i look at it today the photos seem like an allegory of the downfall of the g. D. R. Didnt know the phone was issued the women made themselves beautiful and gave their all. And then a jury stupid dumb fat guys lots of the gars. Somehow gave them marks. Im sure. The paths of the 2 men crossed at the crucial demonstration on monday october 9th of just a month before the berlin wall fell ill of. You know the breed of friends of mine took great risks to take the pictures i had smuggled video cameras over into the g. D. R. And these friends went to lumps of sugar off the stasi and climbed up a church tower. Bet shefa was one of johns risk taking friends shows us the church tower and the camera he used. Hed been secretly filming for west german t. V. And was used to playing cat and mouse with the stasi but the night he climbed the tower of the church in leipzig mark to see change in the protests in east germany as the city became the torchbearer of a peaceful revolution. It was very impressive to see some 70000 people going by down there all of them peaceful but frightened. And we were up here. It was scary just as windy as it is now and it was also raining or talk about goosebumps the whole of france but. The soldiers and tanks were massing on the side streets of the g. D. R. Was on the brink of civil war both teams in the whole host of the stasi were watching the demonstration from the roof of that building there so not far away its now a Department Store it was. Their biggest worry was whether they were actually catching anything on film the stasi were so close they didnt dare hold the camera up properly. I thought if we could see them theyd see us up here and at some point my partner stuck chewing gum on the light because we thought theyd see it and think what are they doing up there. It was even 65 metres up and they could hear what the crowd was shouting was we are the people it was it became the slogan of the revolution was i was going for some reason we had been pushed all the way to the front of the crowd which wasnt the plan. So began the beginning of the demo we had all linked arms we had seen this in the movies and thought thats how you did it those moms all but after a while we realized that the police and soldiers werent intervening. They let us pass. But 1st they needed to get the footage to west germany the handover was at the revolving door of a hotel as he said its a concept as soon as i got my hands on the video cassettes transferred them to a format we could broadcast and if they just tamad on that and when i saw the pictures the tears came to my eyes because i knew it was the end of the g. D. R. And that it is. News to us here are the days news just. The next day the pictures from the church tower were all over the news. Leipsic was closed off to journalists the 70000. 00 demonstrators couldnt have known that foreign teams were capturing them on tape. One of the 1st to fall from power was the man who inhabited this suite and a. Head of state security he could never have imagined that the whole world would now walk into his empire. The save at the back is where he kept incriminating documents about east german leader l a hanukkah today its empty on the card here when you see in his rooms you realize how symbolic all of this was with the visitors from 40 countries came to express their admiration for the germans for managing to overthrow a dictatorship for overcoming their fear there was a sign for the whole world a symbol of hope. Hold on yon is now because stowed in the old stasi files he takes us into the basement where they stretch for miles and miles. Germany saved most of the g. D. R. Secret dossiers and has made them excessive to victims in a way that is unique in the world. Also appreciates that the old east german spies receive no pardon from the united germany but a lot has gone wrong in the last 30 years many in the east still feel disadvantaged and it took too long to realize that the east also had its own brand of xenophobia right wing extremists. Those to use the 1st they said we are the people. And then it was we are one people up to that point maybe it was all ok. But when we are one people warped into foreigners out. Then it wasnt ok. Go on with. Germany may no longer have a wall yet still not really united but did anyone really expect that to happen in one generation. Our next destination is the Czech Republic we started in the capital prague and make a detour to the town of friedlands and bohemia. Prague has flourished in the last 3 decades and its impossible to escape its beauty every day crowds jostle on its famous charles bridge. The charles bridge is a constant hub of activity day and night tourists take at least 100000000 selfies a year here the czechs can be proud of all they have achieved in the last 30 years especially here in the capital but who actually owns all this splendor. Even with all the splendor theres still a lot of dissatisfaction among the czech population. We find out why from someone who was here 30 years ago in the early days of the new republic. He was the closest companion of. The 1st president after the fall of the iron curtain. Both came to power unexpectedly one had been in exile the other under house arrest. Neither of them were politicians. You were really amateurs of course we were. Everything ive done in my life ive been an amateur. You dont learn to make revolutions. Has seen many rulers in its time but the constellation that moved into prague castle in 1909 was quite unique. In the president and playwright for years. So the prince decided to go into politics and serve him. The duo ran the new republic in its 1st 2 years. Even today shots and still a respected voice in the Czech Republic. His word counts hes a wealthy man who could hardly be accused of harboring socialist sympathies. But he believes too much property in the Czech Republic has been sold off to horners. That means banks and Financial Institutions and large parts of industry are no longer in the hands of local companies but in the hands of the germans dutch french koreans and japanese. Understands the anger checks achieve a lot but earn little. Part of the revenues are going to Parent Companies abroad and thats starting to annoy people here. Our journey now takes us into the czech countryside the imperial general. Occupied the castle of friedland in the 17th century and the brewery there has been making beer for 700 years. And his staff work all day in the old vaults built by the great general the crates are still emptied in the bottles washed and refilled by hand everything is still fairly improvised at 1st the boss filled the bottles himself back then 7 years ago they were just a team of 2 and they believed they could get the brewery back on its feet. Now there are 17 of them and soon itll be 50. Has a problem that many others would envy him for his breweries doing too well and hes desperately looking for staff. Mark supplies his regular customers across rural bohemia himself. Its a beautiful area but the people who live there still feel neglected and vote in right wing populist politicians. Mark has a Kindred Spirit here. Pastor pavol also loves baroque history and beer sometimes they feel ashamed about their fellow citizens recently pablo hosted 50 novice priests from the vatican for a month at the pilgrimage site of high nature but many locals believe the visitors were refugees which caused a scene when he took them to a soccer game it ended. And old man got irritated and insulted my students jelling them to go home the migrants nowhere else on their trip to europe did they get a reception like that the focus is just. That if we are actually familiar with foreigners in the Czech Republic but its different here and. There are many which causes misunderstandings some people in the village cant tell the difference between vatican offices and the flood of migrants theyve seen on t. V. Marc valvo was among those on happy with the way things were going so he joined a new Political Movement that promised to change everything for the better. So that also i joined i know the action of dissatisfied citizens 3 years ago. At that time we were all hoping for a new start without the burdens of the past and the old political camps. But theres not much left of that new start now its as if the whole country has jumped back 30 years. All over the Czech Republic hundreds of thousands of people are taking to the streets otto now forms the government with its leader andre bobbish as Prime Minister but he of all people is suspected of having pocketed millions of eels funds and obstructing investigations. The memory of is repeatedly invoked as a prime example of decency during the demonstrations his old friend agrees. We have now a kleptocratic regime instead of an authoritarian one but that is not very gratifying either. This is far removed from vaclav havel and the ideas that drove the revolution of 1909. The beautiful Czech Republic seems to be on the brink of another up evil but perhaps the citizens will soon be able to shake the dissatisfaction that permeates the country. The next stop is budapest hungary and Border Crossings show. Where World History was once made. The world seemingly comes to an end at risk of a 4 metre high razor wire fence snakes through the farmland the balkan route which used to be the main route into the e. U. For refugees has been blocked off. As an attack its a sad irony of history that hungary which was the 1st country to dismantle the border fortifications to allow refugees to reach safety and freedom was in 2015 the 1st country in europe to rebuild its border fortifications like the city was on the border with serbia. Book which takes us to the e. U. s southern border to the no mans land between hungry and serbia in fact youre not supposed to go there at all but carty has already overcome quite different obstacles she was here in 2015 when the wave of Syrian Refugees arrived. I remember the masses of refugees here at the border weve heard about the problems in budapest but we used donations to buy several 100 tents and blankets the nights in september and were already quite cold. It wasnt easy to get past the armed border guards. Help the refugees to pitch their tents so they wouldnt have to sleep in the open air many had ruined bead from the long trek she says and nothing had been done to help them. 30 years ago on the hungry austria border it was a different picture with different refugees. But there was always all the press clapping and we hear hard to believe. The iron curtain finally opened at the border post that show up on the 1st 500. 00 east germans managed to escape to the west today the post is in the middle of a forest. Border guard commander was on duty there on august 19th 1909. Neighbors from both sides of the border met there that day to eat goulash and take pieces of the border fence home as souvenirs of the socalled paneuropean picnic. Suddenly the east germans came out of the cornfields and inescapable temped they planned long before bella had only 4 men with him but they were armed they could have prevented the escape. Fortunately there wasnt much time for hesitation. People cover their 120 meters in about 20 seconds and thats how long i had to make a decision. People called him a hero. And thats only half true i dont feel like a hero not at all. But what is true is that we looked away and then turned our gaze towards austria so we wouldnt see what was going on behind our backs. The refugees were exhausted but happy as if theyd arrived in the Promised Land come through to a sin but we still feel a little stressed out by all the to and fro ing and all the people but were free and were happy we made it which is constant i cant believe im here i just got off the bus from shop wrong and crossed over here. This man helped make their escape possible miklos nemat became Prime Minister of the still communist hungary in 1988 shortly after taking office he decided to disarm the countrys border fortifications. Was close to an obese hunger he was bankrupt that time i am sitting in my room. No pleasure really where you could you could see all the scum. In the 1989 budget he found a large sum earmarked under a secret code so i you mediately big phone and called up the interior minister. And he told me that the cease. Disarm for refurbishment for delivery new rule over defense between hungary and austria and what to do then then i the lead girls that makes the budget it was the 1st crack in the iron curtain the news spread around the world. Towards it and today hungry has begun to dismantle the border fortifications with austria that have stood for 40 years several kilometers of electronic alarms and barbed wire have been torn down all the alarm systems on the long border between hungry and austria are due to be dismantled by the end of 1990 of. All of them noted what was going go. And no. Knocking on my door over so then soviet embassy there to budapest protesting what what do we know telephone call for almost call in fact name it had cleared the move with soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in a 20 minute phone conversation that went on for 2 hours gorbachev said. Until i am sitting in this chair there if hell be no repetition of 56 which is in order or its was a clear cut message that may close your hands are not tied up anymore now the fence is back to keep out a whole new wave of refugees the hunger in government is exploiting the fear of migrants to further its domestic agenda then to the main menu. I dont know how many people right now would be happy if the iron curtain were dismantled today like it was 30 years ago. That in that case would have been a neck and neck she may well be right many hungry and think like this ice cream man in the border town. We didnt know what was going on at 1st. We didnt know who these foreigners were. But then more and more came and we got scared especially for our children because we didnt know what the refugees intentions were. Its an irony of fate but the refugees and all the hustle and bustle of the border brought him a lot of trade this season will now be his last. Revolution in december 1989 was anything but peaceful. Was at this barracks. When the countrys hated rulers the ceausescus were put on trial. When there was a young prosecutor then and crossexamine them here 30 years ago. We were shooting with. Feel the same here now as i did in december 1909 a strong feeling of freedom that we had finally got rid of the dictatorship that cast a shadow on our lives for so long most of the day but. The trial lasted only 50 minutes and the verdict was delivered. In the name of the people we unanimously condemned nikolai and elaine a child to death. This. Thought that. The coach at school was a dictator when you think about all his machinations for me only one accusation came into question of the crimes against humanity. And there was only one penalty for that. You know chill of the flesh and political when it. There would be no reprieves and no appeals were executed immediately a short trial did put a stop to the shootings on the street the number of People Killed in romania had already risen to a 1000 and images from bucharest were circulating around the world everywhere else the revolutions had been peaceful but the party in romania was desperately clinging to power by all means and the 2nd guard was already on standby. This report came shortly before the ceausescus were executed. And i need to prove this hundreds have reportedly died in gun fights in bucharest alone here supporters of ceausescu especially his Security Police have occupied buildings and are still firing on soldiers and civilians. Is locals are showing the soldiers where theyre hiding shooting from rooftops balconies and cellars will still. Be difficult the population has to seek shelter from the snipers in doorways and French Television journalist was crushed to death by a tank. Tonight he did arrive in bucharest only a few hours earlier so 200. 00 ariens were also shot dead by members of the Security Forces they had tried to bring aid to romania on their own bread for the soldiers food for students in particular are bringing in food and medicine there is little help for the many thousands of severely wounded even in hospitals and theres a shortage of blood reserves into a different romanian t. V. He says the number of wounded is huge medical staff have been asked to help the army has brought in reinforcements and romanian airspace has been closed loop home to get out. Prosecutor done for neda shows us the bullet holes in the chair where stood against the wall he defends their execution to this day but hes also still waiting for a real fresh start. Jeanettes year the new generation should finally follow their feelings and build the rule of law for which young people of their age gave their lives back then it the ship it through that its also your 2nd if you cut the net either of us thought it was todays rulers the socalled social democrats have repeatedly crushed demonstrations for the rule of law august 2800 sub bloody street fighting. Was. Time for since then there have been constant protests on book arrests victory square. This time its actors theater employees and artists speaking out against the governments drastic cuts to funding for culture. Actor ian carr m e true who runs booker rests National Theatre is one of them his son andre who is a politician and businessman is with him. He on isnt just a well known actor but he was also one of the insurgents who announced the victory of the revolution on television in december 1909 was about it i got a cool automatic she was what they had come straight from jail she then when she does an awful lot of thats going to haunt us god only god did not hear it was my movie today he feels the revolution has been let down. She said to him and they think. Its disgusting wish to see our rulers arbitrarily. Changing the law that. Would do catch a symptom and theyll do anything to escape punishment and keep the money they steal its only us a little bit thats no refund for. Nothin plus i wish we were finally living in a clean country is the west so it was said that it will try to put out the. Be on sun andriy explains that there. The lack of infrastructure and romania has the fewest motorways in europe. The funds for their developments have often disappeared into private pockets. Andre thinks this is just one example of many. 95 percent of the money is distributed to the governments Party Friends to mayors and Companies Close to the party. The moneys practically stolen. Put. Back to bucharest worry on runs the National Theatre and still performs himself. If he does as the government wants theyll have to dismiss 52 of his staff in the next few weeks he says this sort of behavior reminds him of the ceausescus dictatorship. The current situation. Is nothing new. Just the unscrupulous continuation of communist habits. Good to local who just. Donvan am often visits the cemetery in bucharest with the victims are buried most of them were under 30 school kids students and workers many of their killers still havent been identified. Prints of books such as the that there is still no justice for all these young people who were murdered in december 1909 with the thought that. The wounds of communism and the bloody revolution 30 years ago in romania are far from healed. This is where we end our journey through a europe that is no longer divided but still not really united the journey of 4000 kilometers without a visa without border controls from north to south. Not everything has worked out thats beyond dispute. But nobody on our trip still really wanted the old iron curtain back. Through on this because when we went to the bakery the next day the atmosphere was very odd people were somehow different having relaxed this fuse that we noticed it straight away with but we didnt know why so we asked the bakers wife what was going on. And she replied in the most beautiful saxon dialect that havent you noticed the walls gone this way. You feel neat. And you can warm and change. The mom. And the food of scene playing golf or. At least you need seems that kids. Of the 666. Show me are just. At the middle of this stick. And we have been learning. The need to greet these all. The glide. They are ups and downs. Almost all over. This. Is. A. Good. Thing. For years in the lives of meggie and leo the modern ones or you always think it will come some time from me so difficult to stay hopeful. For their 2nd chance at life. 2 patients 2 lives before and after a life saving organ transplant. Donor organ recipients. In 90 minutes on. Board all or. Nothing out of the jet well enough sometimes i am but most end up in which the captain read the german thinks the printer german culture of looking at the stereotype of. If you think the future of the country that i not. Yet needed to repeat in this drama. To me its all about ok. Im a job join me to meet the chairman funded up the. Post you know that 77 percent clapping are younger than 6 oclock. Thats me and me and you. Seem to know what time the voice is. On the 77 percent who talk about the issues. From politics to flash from housing boom boom town this is where. Welcome to the 77 percent. This weekend on g. W. This is the news live from berlin 2 people are killed in a fire at a refugee camp on the greek island of lesbos alright then breaks out after margaret say firefighters for too long to iraq also coming up. Turkey stands accused of sending refugees back to syria against their will to meet a mother desperate to find