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From the article:
[Bella Arpad's] split-second decision in August of 1989 transformed this once-impervious barrier stretching from the Adriatic to the Baltic into something more like a bead curtain, and likely precipitated the events that caused the Berlin Wall to be opened on Nov. 9, 1989.
Monday's Berlin Wall anniversary will be celebrated around the world, but the real end of the Iron Curtain took place on Aug. 19, 1989, when hundreds and then thousands of East Germans were permitted to pour across the mined, fenced and fortified barrier at the Hungarian-Austrian crossing – in large part because Mr. Arpad decided not to obey his rules of engagement.
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“We had very clear instructions to fire warning shots first, and to shoot individuals who tried to challenge us,” [Arpad] said. “I knew I would be in very serious trouble if I disobeyed. But if I fired, it would create a panic and a rush, and then we would have to use even more violence to deal with that, and a lot of people would be killed.”
Many factors came together on that day, such as political changes in the USSR, Poland, and Hungary, and of course the daring of the 150 East German people who decided to test the border, but it was the courage of one man who stood up for what he believed to be right that made the difference. The politicians were ready and willing for the border to be crossed, but no one had thought to tell the soldiers. Even so, this soldier chose to risk his career rather than obey a bad order, and that decision contributed to the fall of the Berlin Wall not long after.
And "they" say that one person can't change the world!
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