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 ther