Russia and the GDR

I was sorry to miss the Russia presentation on Sunday, considering its perfect timing with the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall.
Last night I participated in a celebration with the German Department, where we had a panel of guests from Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and other nations on both sides of the former Iron Curtain.
After listening to these speakers, it is really just unbelievable how much everything has changed. In middle of the 20th Century, the Soviet Union violently quelled many uprisings in Eastern Europe. Yet on November 9, 1989, not a single shot was fired.
Much credit is given to Gorbachev's glasnost and perestroika. In fact, in the 80s, the Soviet Union grew to be much more liberal and forgiving than the GDR State. When Gorbachev visited the GDR earlier in '89, the people chanted, "Gorbi! Gorbi!" Gorbachev himself was unwilling to back Honecker's hard-line policies.
And so we saw a peaceful revolution in East Germany. But I think that had much more to do with the struggles and sacrifices of the people over the course of 50 years, rather than the policies of Gorbachev.
I guess I am just rambling on about history, but as a German major, I love this stuff. Sure, Russia still has major issues, but the changes that have happened there in the past 20 years are incredibly remarkable. Hooray for democracy.