---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As one looks back, one sees that the fall…"
description: "\"As one looks back, one sees that the fall of the Berlin Wall opened the door to three developments - the Eurozone, which was crafted around German unif..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/timothy-garton-ash-15575_berlin_as-one-looks-back-one-sees-that-the-fall_2470166.jpg"
---

#  As one looks back, one sees that the fall of the Berlin…

![“As one looks back, one sees that the fall of the Berlin Wall opened the door to three developments - the Eurozone, which was crafted around German unification, the free movement of peoples within Europe, particularly people from the new democracies of Eastern Europe, and, more broadly, it opened…” quote by Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/timothy-garton-ash-15575_berlin_as-one-looks-back-one-sees-that-the-fall_2470166.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/timothy-garton-ash-15575_berlin_as-one-looks-back-one-sees-that-the-fall_2470166.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/timothy-garton-ash-15575_berlin_as-one-looks-back-one-sees-that-the-fall_2470166.jpg)

> “As one looks back, one sees that the fall of the Berlin Wall opened the door to three developments - the Eurozone, which was crafted around German unification, the free movement of peoples within Europe, particularly people from the new democracies of Eastern Europe, and, more broadly, it opened the door to globalization.”

[Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The fall of the Berlin Wall triggered three major outcomes: the Eurozone, free movement across Europe, and broader globalization, reshaping political and economic landscapes.

**In simple terms:** Berlin Wall’s fall led to Eurozone, mobility, and globalization.

Key Takeaway

Recognize how pivotal events reshape societies.

Themes

political change economic integration globalization European unity

Mood

analytical informative balanced

Type

historical political economic

When to use this quote

- policy analysis
- educational curricula
- public discourse
- international relations

Key Concepts

regionalism market integration migration cultural exchange

Questions to Reflect On

- How did the Eurozone affect different member states?
- What challenges arise from free movement?

A Different Perspective

Economic benefits can be uneven, causing social tensions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Berlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/berlin/) [Berlin wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/berlin-wall/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Eastern europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eastern-europe/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Eurozone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eurozone/) [Free movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-movement/) [Globalization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/globalization/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Unification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unification/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/)

## Related quotes

> [The Eurozone has clearly gone spectacularly wrong, pulling down all the continental economies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/the-eurozone-has-clearly-gone-spectacularly-wrong-pulling-down-all/)

[Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/)

> [British taxpayers should not bear the costs of problems in the Eurozone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/british-taxpayers-should-not-bear-the-costs-of-problems-in-the/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

> [Establishing proper economic governance that allows the Eurozone to undertake the integration it needs whilst protecting the interests of the single market for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/establishing-proper-economic-governance-that-allows-the-eurozone-to/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

> [I believe the ones who stand up for what we say, which is stay inside the Eurozone, try to fix some things in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-kaili/i-believe-the-ones-who-stand-up-for-what-we-say-which-is-stay-inside/)

[Eva Kaili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-kaili/)

> [Very serious mistakes were made by previous governments, and Greece was ready to be abandoned by its partners and to leave the eurozone, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonis-samaras/very-serious-mistakes-were-made-by-previous-governments-and-greece/)

[Antonis Samaras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonis-samaras/)

> [To save the banks, you would have to turn the entire Eurozone into Greece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hudson/to-save-the-banks-you-would-have-to-turn-the-entire-eurozone-into/)

[Michael Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hudson/)

> [The politics of banking is bad everywhere, including UK. Eurozone has more problems, unhealthy symbiosis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anat-r-admati/the-politics-of-banking-is-bad-everywhere-including-uk-eurozone-has/)

[Anat R. Admati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anat-r-admati/)

> [Whatever new arrangements are enacted for the Eurozone, they must work fairly for those inside it and out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/whatever-new-arrangements-are-enacted-for-the-eurozone-they-must-work/)

[David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/)

> [Both the Eurozone and European Union is like the end of the Roman Empire. It's already started. In a few years' time it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geert-wilders/both-the-eurozone-and-european-union-is-like-the-end-of-the-roman/)

[Geert Wilders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geert-wilders/)

> [You have to abolish pension plans. You have to abolish social spending. You have to raise taxes. You have to have at least fifty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hudson/you-have-to-abolish-pension-plans-you-have-to-abolish-social-spending/)

[Michael Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hudson/)

> [The interesting thing is that the 82% of the Greeks do not want to abandon the Euro. They really believe that there might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dora-bakoyannis/the-interesting-thing-is-that-the-82-of-the-greeks-do-not-want-to/)

[Dora Bakoyannis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dora-bakoyannis/)

> [If I had political responsibility, I would want to prepare for a plan B that would foresee that the European currency union, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peer-steinbruck/if-i-had-political-responsibility-i-would-want-to-prepare-for-a-plan/)

[Peer Steinbruck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peer-steinbruck/)

> [I work in lockstep, hand in glove, with the prime minister on these issues, and as we are supportive to the Eurozone so they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-clegg/i-work-in-lockstep-hand-in-glove-with-the-prime-minister-on-these/)

[Nick Clegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-clegg/)

> [While holding the eurozone together will be costly and difficult and painful for the politicians, breaking it up will be even more costly and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eichengreen/while-holding-the-eurozone-together-will-be-costly-and-difficult-and/)

[Barry Eichengreen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eichengreen/)

> [Europe is creating the flight of refugees that's tearing it apart politically, and leading rightwing nationalist parties to gain power to withdraw from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hudson/europe-is-creating-the-flight-of-refugees-that-s-tearing-it-apart/)

[Michael Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hudson/)

## More by Timothy Garton Ash

> [I'm a historian by training and by conviction. And so the thing that has throughout informed my thinking about international relations is history. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/i-m-a-historian-by-training-and-by-conviction-and-so-the-thing-that/)

[Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/)

> [America should do a reverse Columbus. The world no longer needs to discover America; but America urgently needs to discover the world's view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/america-should-do-a-reverse-columbus-the-world-no-longer-needs-to/)

[Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/)

> [Yet another thing Canadians and Europeans have in common is an obsession with the United States, and with distinguishing themselves from it, often by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/yet-another-thing-canadians-and-europeans-have-in-common-is-an/)

[Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/)

> [Ordinary Americans, and especially the small minority active in Democrat and Republican primaries, must learn more of what people across the globe are thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/ordinary-americans-and-especially-the-small-minority-active-in/)

[Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/)

> [No country in Europe has a larger proportion of men and women of immigrant descent, mainly from the African continent and mainly Muslim: an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/no-country-in-europe-has-a-larger-proportion-of-men-and-women-of/)

[Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/)

> [Well, that's the way democracy works. We have to build this Europe with the material we have at our disposal. And this material is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/well-that-s-the-way-democracy-works-we-have-to-build-this-europe-with/)

[Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/)

> [Europe is a woman, now middle-aged, who has already had a number of heart attacks and is currently experiencing the biggest health crisis of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/europe-is-a-woman-now-middle-aged-who-has-already-had-a-number-of/)

[Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/)

> [The main problem with American power is not that it is American... No, the main problem with American power is the power itself. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/the-main-problem-with-american-power-is-not-that-it-is-american-no/)

[Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/)

> [What is the elephant in all our rooms? It is the global triumph of capitalism. Democracy is fiercely disputed. Freedom is under threat even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/what-is-the-elephant-in-all-our-rooms-it-is-the-global-triumph-of/)

[Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/)

> [Nuclear proliferation - the proliferation of WMDs altogether - is one of the greatest dangers of our time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/nuclear-proliferation-the-proliferation-of-wmds-altogether-is-one-of/)

[Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/)

> [I find Chinese debates about their political system domestically, but also about China's claims in the international system, to be among the most original…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/i-find-chinese-debates-about-their-political-system-domestically-but/)

[Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/)

> [Every step that produces a single job for a currently unemployed European should be taken. Every centimetre of red tape that puts someone out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/every-step-that-produces-a-single-job-for-a-currently-unemployed/)

[Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/)

> [But transitions from the politics of violence to democratic compromise are always messy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/but-transitions-from-the-politics-of-violence-to-democratic/)

[Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/)

> [America is divided by a great argument about itself. Europe is divided by a great argument about America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/america-is-divided-by-a-great-argument-about-itself-europe-is-divided/)

[Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/)

> [The trouble is that privacy is at once essential to, and in tension with, both freedom and security. A cabinet minister who keeps his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/the-trouble-is-that-privacy-is-at-once-essential-to-and-in-tension/)

[Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/)

[Explore all 42 Timothy Garton Ash quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/)

## More Berlin quotes

> [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [I did a concert... in September with the Berlin Philharmonic... They're great musicians, and there's always something to learn from them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecilia-bartoli/i-did-a-concert-in-september-with-the-berlin-philharmonic-they-re/)

[Cecilia Bartoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecilia-bartoli/)

> [The fall of the Berlin Wall makes for nice pictures. But it all started in the shipyards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lech-walesa/the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-makes-for-nice-pictures-but-it-all/)

[Lech Walesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lech-walesa/)

> [The music changed. We had Irving Berlin and Gershwin and Lerner and Loewe and Cole Porter. Great music. Now we have 'Rent.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyd-charisse/the-music-changed-we-had-irving-berlin-and-gershwin-and-lerner-and/)

[Cyd Charisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyd-charisse/)

> [My works are dear to me, each in its own way, I shall have to answer for them on the Day off Judgement. God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/my-works-are-dear-to-me-each-in-its-own-way-i-shall-have-to-answer/)

[Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/)

> [I'm not a prophet, but I always thought it was natural for dictatorships to fall. I remember in 1989, two months before the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-not-a-prophet-but-i-always-thought-it-was-natural-for/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [The church of St. Peter at Berlin, notwithstanding the total difference between them in the style of building, appears in some respects to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-philipp-moritz/the-church-of-st-peter-at-berlin-notwithstanding-the-total-difference/)

[Karl Philipp Moritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-philipp-moritz/)

> [...what happened in New York and Washington is the same thing that England and America did to Berlin every day for three years during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemmy-kilmister/what-happened-in-new-york-and-washington-is-the-same-thing-that/)

[Lemmy Kilmister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemmy-kilmister/)

> [I am in Paris. Yes ma'am , I made it back. I came up from Berlin, stopped here ten days, fought a losing battle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/i-am-in-paris-yes-ma-am-i-made-it-back-i-came-up-from-berlin-stopped/)

[Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/)

> [God bless America, land that I love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-berlin/god-bless-america-land-that-i-love/)

[Irving Berlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-berlin/)

> [I wouldn't want to live in Berlin. It's bombed out and there's a lot of techno.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/i-wouldn-t-want-to-live-in-berlin-it-s-bombed-out-and-there-s-a-lot/)

[Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/)

> [Berlin is still a very edgy place, a very cosmopolitan place. It's a place where completely different ideas and cultures come together and clash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bremmer/berlin-is-still-a-very-edgy-place-a-very-cosmopolitan-place-it-s-a/)

[Ian Bremmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bremmer/)

> [Berlin would be a great place to have no cell phone, I think. Especially if you were able to live in a central location.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-ebert/berlin-would-be-a-great-place-to-have-no-cell-phone-i-think/)

[Alex Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-ebert/)

> [Those who have ever valued liberty for its own sake believed that to be free to choose, and not to be chosen for, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-berlin/those-who-have-ever-valued-liberty-for-its-own-sake-believed-that-to/)

[Isaiah Berlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-berlin/)

> [The toughest thing about success is that you've got to keep on being a success. Talent is only a starting point in this business.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-berlin/the-toughest-thing-about-success-is-that-you-ve-got-to-keep-on-being/)

[Irving Berlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-berlin/)

[Browse all 438 Berlin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/berlin/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "As one looks back, one sees that the fall of the Berlin Wall opened the door to three developments - the Eurozone, which was crafted around German unification, the free movement of peoples within Europe, particularly people from the new democracies of Eastern Europe, and, more broadly, it opened the door to globalization.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Timothy Garton Ash"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/as-one-looks-back-one-sees-that-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-opened/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Berlin"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/as-one-looks-back-one-sees-that-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-opened/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/timothy-garton-ash-15575_berlin_as-one-looks-back-one-sees-that-the-fall_2470166.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/timothy-garton-ash-15575_berlin_as-one-looks-back-one-sees-that-the-fall_2470166.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/timothy-garton-ash-15575_berlin_as-one-looks-back-one-sees-that-the-fall_2470166.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As one looks back, one sees that the fall of the Berlin Wall opened the door to three developments - the…” — Timothy Garton Ash",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Timothy Garton Ash",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "As one looks back, one sees...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/as-one-looks-back-one-sees-that-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-opened/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/as-one-looks-back-one-sees-that-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-opened/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
