TITLE: Commemorating the 24th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

SUMMARY: Commemorating the 24th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, November 9, 2013, marks the 24th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a turning point in 20th century geopolitics; and WHEREAS, In the depths of the Cold War, on August 13, 1961, the communist government of East Germany began building a barbed wire and concrete "Antifaschistischer Schutzwall," or "antifascist bulwark," between East and West Berlin; the official purpose of this barrier was to keep Westerners from entering and undermining the socialist state, but it primarily served to stem mass defections by disillusioned residents of East Berlin; and WHEREAS, East German officials completed the wall in two weeks and eventually replaced the makeshift barrier with a 12-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide mass of reinforced concrete topped with an enormous pipe that was nearly impossible to climb over; behind the structure, they established a floodlit no-man's-land called the "Death Strip," which was guarded by vicious dogs, trip-wire machine guns, and soldiers with orders to shoot on sight; and WHEREAS, Determined to free the victims of evil oppression, President Ronald Reagan joined with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul II in the effort to defeat communism; President Reagan traveled to West Germany and on June 12, 1987, in a heroic speech delivered at the storied Brandenburg Gate, about 100 yards from the Berlin Wall, he delivered a stirring challenge to the Soviet leader with the exhortation, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall"; and WHEREAS, At the time, some officials and foreign policy pundits decried President Reagan's words as too bold and provocative, but the speech bolstered the morale of many pro-democracy advocates in the Eastern Bloc; the protests known as the "Peaceful Revolution" broke out in East Germany in September 1989, and as more than one million people took to the streets, the communist East German minister of propaganda announced that the border would be opened; thousands of celebrants flooded the checkpoints at the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, and that weekend, ecstatic East and West Berliners used hammers and picks to knock away pieces of the wall while cranes and bulldozers pulled down section after section; and WHEREAS, The fall of the Berlin Wall not only reunited a great European city for the first time since 1945 but symbolized the end of the Cold War and the triumph of democracy over communism; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas Legislature hereby commemorate the 24th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and encourage all Texans to reflect on the significance of this pivotal event in modern history. Price Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 2815 was adopted by the House on May 26, 2013, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House