Collapse of the Iron Curtain

[ladyfalcon32]

Why did the communist "Iron Curtain" across Europe ultimately collapse during the Cold War?

[JohnPPotts]

Because the Soviets (or at least, their leadership) were ultimately unprepared in 1989 to use force to keep the countries of Eastern Europe under Soviet control, probably because of the Economic cost of maintaining the military might to do so.

[Yeah Bee]

Yeah Gorbatchov is the key his ideas of Glasnost and Perestrojka set the balls running. My russian friend says that the people weren't so upset about the politics just the lack of supplies. I think it was hUngary that first opened the borders to the west and then DDR followed so many had already gone thru Hungary so there was no point in keeping the WALL