Possibility Check: Gorby tear Down the Wall?

[Berra]

The events surrounding the fall of the wall is pretty random. And Reagan's "tear down this wall" speach is iconic but it wasn't Gorby who teared down the wall.

What are the odds he does it or at least have somebody do it if the wall don't fall?

 

[The Vulture]

I don't consider myself a Cold War scholar (not my declared specialty at university, at least), but I doubt Gorbachev would up and tear down the wall just cause Reagan yelled really loud about it. If Reagan were to back that up by, say, cutting down shipments of wheat to the USSR or DDR, then we might have action.

Keep in mind this isn't a subject I know a whole lot about, though.

 

[carlton_bach]

Actually, the other way around might work better. Freedom to travel was a big issue in the GDR, and if Gorbachev does not get pressured into a hardline stance, it's likely thathe will eventually lean on East Berlin to fall in line with the rest of the Warsaw Pact in erms of political reform. But there isn't going to be anything like 9 November. The Politburo would try to gradually loosen restrictions and get concessions and aid in return. The end is likely to be the same, but the process would be gradual and instead of an iconic moment, we'd get a series of photo ops at border crossings with smiling politicians and grateful travellers interviewed on Aktuelle Kamera.