After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, significant political changes occurred, marking the beginning of the end of the Cold War. The wall's collapse symbolized the failure of communist control in Eastern Europe and led to the reunification of Germany. It spurred democratic movements across the region, leading to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. This transition shifted the global balance of power and facilitated the expansion of Western democracies and institutions, reshaping international relations and alliances.