In their conversation, Mikhail Gorbachev (pictured left), leader of the USSR, discusses various political matters with the leader of the Federal Republic of Germany (FDR), or West Germany, Helmut Kohl (pictured right). The two focus on foreign affairs important to both West Germany and the Soviet Union, who were on different sides of the iron curtain during the Cold War. They discuss the United States and its new President, George H.W. Bush (the former Vice President under Ronald Reagan) and his commitment to foreign policy promises. Kohl asserts that Bush is more familiar with European affairs than was Reagan, and he has hope that American policies in the future will focus on cooperation rather than confrontation. They move on to the new stance of the Soviet Union on influencing the domestic affairs of Eastern European countries in the Communist bloc. Gorbachev and Kohl both support the new Soviet policy of leaving these nations to handle their own affairs without Soviet interference. They finally discuss the arms limitations agreements, whose negotiations were ongoing at the time.
The visit of Gorbachev to West Germany stands in juxtaposition to the former context of relations between the two countries. Previously, Western allies and the Eastern Communist bloc held a deep mistrust towards one another, and foreign policy between any opposing nations was hostile and aggressive. However, recently Gorbachev had introduced reforms and restructuring of Soviet institutions and policies that liberalized, even if only slightly, Soviet political and economic systems. These reforms gave the USSR new policies of openness, and were welcomed by Western nations. The USSR sought to improve their relations with Western nations with foreign policies of cooperation and peaceful coexistence. Hence, Gorbachev was welcomed in West Germany as a potential ally rather than an enemy.
While the two leaders do not directly discuss the crises in Berlin or East Germany, which would come to pass in the months to come, but their discussion touches on key issues that were instrumental in contributing to the fall of the Berlin Wall. The two discuss at length about the new American President, George H.W. Bush. The US represented the Western bloc's superpower, the USSR's capitalist counterpart. Their talking about the social, economic, and political situation of the United States emphasizes the influence that the US has in international affairs, not least of all in West and East Germany (as was seen in Reagan's speech in Berlin two years previously). However, much more important in contributing to the fall of the Berlin Wall was the foreign policy of the USSR, rather than that of the US. Gorbachev emphasizes in the conversation the Soviet's intention to not intervene in other Communist nations' domestic affairs, and to allow these countries greater freedom and autonomy. The result of these measures, as they discuss, occurred in Hungary that year, and the country at the time was increasingly reforming its communist system to that of a liberal democracy. Previously, developments such as this would be forcibly crushed by the USSR, who wished to expand communism. However, under Gorbachev's new policies, such measures were not taken and the Soviets respected the sovereignty of Hungary in its nonintervention. This policy of foreign nonintervention, as will be seen, served to pave the way for protests against the East German government (which chose not to implement reforms but instead remain in a "Brezhnev"-style system) to materialize and proceed without being stopped by Soviet forces. This shows how, while reformist policies contributed to the fall of the Berlin Wall, it was the people themselves who took the initiative to fight for their freedoms; in this way, both government foreign policies of foreign nonintervention and the will of the citizens played instrumental roles in the opening of Berlin's border. The agreement of Gorbachev and Brezhnev on nearly every political issue they discuss suggests the ongoing and future restorations of friendly relations between the Eastern Communist bloc and the Western capitalists.
The visit of Gorbachev to West Germany stands in juxtaposition to the former context of relations between the two countries. Previously, Western allies and the Eastern Communist bloc held a deep mistrust towards one another, and foreign policy between any opposing nations was hostile and aggressive. However, recently Gorbachev had introduced reforms and restructuring of Soviet institutions and policies that liberalized, even if only slightly, Soviet political and economic systems. These reforms gave the USSR new policies of openness, and were welcomed by Western nations. The USSR sought to improve their relations with Western nations with foreign policies of cooperation and peaceful coexistence. Hence, Gorbachev was welcomed in West Germany as a potential ally rather than an enemy.
While the two leaders do not directly discuss the crises in Berlin or East Germany, which would come to pass in the months to come, but their discussion touches on key issues that were instrumental in contributing to the fall of the Berlin Wall. The two discuss at length about the new American President, George H.W. Bush. The US represented the Western bloc's superpower, the USSR's capitalist counterpart. Their talking about the social, economic, and political situation of the United States emphasizes the influence that the US has in international affairs, not least of all in West and East Germany (as was seen in Reagan's speech in Berlin two years previously). However, much more important in contributing to the fall of the Berlin Wall was the foreign policy of the USSR, rather than that of the US. Gorbachev emphasizes in the conversation the Soviet's intention to not intervene in other Communist nations' domestic affairs, and to allow these countries greater freedom and autonomy. The result of these measures, as they discuss, occurred in Hungary that year, and the country at the time was increasingly reforming its communist system to that of a liberal democracy. Previously, developments such as this would be forcibly crushed by the USSR, who wished to expand communism. However, under Gorbachev's new policies, such measures were not taken and the Soviets respected the sovereignty of Hungary in its nonintervention. This policy of foreign nonintervention, as will be seen, served to pave the way for protests against the East German government (which chose not to implement reforms but instead remain in a "Brezhnev"-style system) to materialize and proceed without being stopped by Soviet forces. This shows how, while reformist policies contributed to the fall of the Berlin Wall, it was the people themselves who took the initiative to fight for their freedoms; in this way, both government foreign policies of foreign nonintervention and the will of the citizens played instrumental roles in the opening of Berlin's border. The agreement of Gorbachev and Brezhnev on nearly every political issue they discuss suggests the ongoing and future restorations of friendly relations between the Eastern Communist bloc and the Western capitalists.