The main factor contributing to the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, was the mounting pressure for political reform and greater freedoms in East Germany and throughout Eastern Europe. Widespread protests, fueled by the Glasnost and Perestroika policies of Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union, galvanized citizens to demand changes in their authoritarian regimes. As political unrest grew, the East German government faced insurmountable public pressure, leading to the decision to ease travel restrictions. The sudden announcement that East Germans could cross into West Berlin led to the spontaneous dismantling of the wall, symbolizing the end of the Cold War and reunification of Germany.