,,iii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #che ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,october #bd1 #bjai,mr4 ,risch 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 ,mr4 ,johnson1 and ,mrs4 ,shaheen7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,celebrating the #cjth anniversary of the fall of the ,berlin ,wall1 the reunification of both ,germany and ,europe1 and the spread of democracy around the world4 ,whereas ,november #i1 #bjai1 marks the #cjth anniversary of the fall of the ,berlin ,wall1 one of the most visible symbols of communism and the ,iron ,curtain that divided ,europe1 which led to the reunification of ,germany2 ,whereas1 beginning with the ,russian ,revolution of #aiag1 communist governments around the world denied freedom to and persecuted their citizens for most of the #bjth century1 resulting in the deaths of up to #ajj1jjj1jjj people2 ,whereas1 in the aftermath of ,world ,war ,,ii1 the ,soviet ,union established control over countries in ,central and ,eastern ,europe and further increased its power through the foundation of the ,warsaw ,pact military alliance between the ,soviet ,union1 ,albania1 ,bulgaria1 ,czechoslovakia1 ,east ,germany1 ,hungary1 ,poland1 and ,romania2 ,whereas the ,soviet ,union blockade of ,west ,berlin in the summer of #aidh left ,west ,berliners with only one month's worth of provisions2 ,whereas1 in what became known as the ,berlin ,airlift1 the ,united ,states and ,united ,kingdom responded to the blockade by airlifting #b1cbe1hji tons of food and supplies during #bgg1efi total flights into ,west ,berlin2 ,whereas the ,soviet ,union was forced to lift the blockade of ,west ,berlin on ,may #ab1 #aidi1 in light of the success of the ,berlin ,airlift2 ,whereas the ,berlin ,wall1 built in #aifa1 separated communist ,east ,germany from democratic ,west ,germany1 dividing the ,german people and symbolically dividing the world into democratic and authoritarian spheres2 ,whereas1 in ,west ,berlin in #aifc1 ,president ,john ,f4 ,kennedy spoke out against the ,berlin ,wall and communism1 declaring that freedom has many difficulties and democracy is not perfect1 but we have never had to put a wall up to keep our people in1 to prevent them from leaving us2 ,whereas1 during the #bh years of the ,berlin ,wall's existence1 more than #ge1jjj people were imprisoned for attempting to leave ,east ,germany1 and more than #a1jjj people are estimated to have been killed trying to escape2 ,whereas ,soviet forces brutally repressed demonstrations against repressive communist governments in ,hungary in #aief1 ,czechoslovakia in #aifh1 and ,poland in #aihj2 ,whereas the ,united ,states ,congress played a crucial role in the founding of ,radio ,free ,europe and ,radio ,liberty1 independent and uncensored news outlets that broadcast behind the ,iron ,curtain and have been credited by former ,russian ,president ,boris ,yeltsin and former ,czech ,president ,vaclav ,havel with playing a significant role in the ending of the ,cold ,war2 ,whereas1 in ,west ,berlin in #aihg1 ,president ,ronald ,reagan1 standing at the ,brandenburg ,gate1 symbolically referred to both the physical wall and the division of the world and implored ,soviet ,premier ,mikhail ,gorbachev to tear down this ,wall62 ,whereas ,president ,reagan stated1 8,as long as this gate is closed1 as long as this scar of a wall is permitted to stand1 it is not the ,german question alone that remains open1 but the question of freedom for all mankind402 ,whereas1 on ,august #bc1 #aihi1 several million people across the ,baltic ,states of ,estonia1 ,latvia1 and ,lithuania1 which were illegally annexed in #aidj by the ,soviet ,union1 demonstrated bravery and resilience by joining hands to form a #ejj-kilometer long human chain to peacefully demand their independence2 ,whereas1 at midnight on ,november #i1 #aihi1 the ,berlin ,wall symbolically fell1 and ,east ,berliners were allowed to cross into the ,west2 ,whereas1 that night1 ,east ,berliners took pickaxes to this hated symbol of oppression1 and during the following three days more than #b1jjj1jjj people visited ,west ,berlin from the ,east2 ,whereas1 on ,november #ac1 #aihi1 the ,united ,states ,senate welcomed the opening of the ,berlin ,wall as symbolic of the beginning of the process of reform taking place in the ,german ,democratic ,republic 7,east ,germany7 and throughout ,eastern ,europe2 ,whereas1 after the fall of the ,berlin ,wall1 a wave of democratic governance swept the world2 ,whereas1 by the summer of #aiij1 democratically elected governments had been formed in all former ,warsaw ,pact countries2 ,whereas the reunification of ,germany was officially declared on ,october #c1 #aiij2 ,whereas the process of ,german reunification faced significant economic1 structural1 cultural1 and political challenges both within ,germany and in ,europe and took dedicated political leaders and citizens1 with the support of allied nations1 over a decade to achieve2 ,whereas1 on ,december #be1 #aiia1 the ,soviet flag was lowered from over the ,kremlin for the final time1 replaced by the ,russian flag2 ,whereas ,mr4 ,gorbachev later said1 ,the ,soviet model was defeated not only on the economic and social levels2 it was defeated on a cultural level4 ,our society1 our people1 the most educated1 the most intellectual1 rejected that model on the cultural level because it does not respect the man1 oppresses him spiritually and politically42 ,whereas1 since its reunification1 ,germany has become the world's fourth largest economy1 has served as a leading voice in the ,european ,union 7,,eu71 the ,group of #g1 and the ,united ,nations1 and has been consistently rated by ,freedom ,house as one of the world's freest countries2 ,whereas the ,united ,states and ,germany share a close and multidimensional relationship1 including security cooperation and an economic and trade partnership2 ,whereas the ,united ,states and ,germany share values of freedom1 democracy1 and human rights and work in tandem to support and uphold these three pillars globally2 ,whereas the #cjth anniversary of the fall of the ,berlin ,wall coincides with the #gjth anniversary of the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7,,nato7 and the #aeth anniversary of the ,european ,union ,big ,bang1 when #aj mostly post-communist countries joined the ,,eu's community of democracies2 ,whereas many former ,soviet and communist countries are prospering as a result of their democratic and economic reforms1 reflected in their memberships in the ,,eu and ,,nato2 and ,whereas the fall of the ,berlin ,wall signified the end of the division of ,europe and1 ultimately1 the triumph of democracy over communism3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 recognizes the #cjth anniversary of the fall of the ,berlin ,wall as the start of ,german reunification and democratic change in ,eastern ,europe and much of the rest of the world2 7#b7 values the significant efforts made by ,german and ,european citizens to reunify and reinvigorate a united ,germany2 7#c7 recognizes ,germany for its steadfast alliance and friendship with the ,united ,states1 its leadership within the ,european ,union1 its commitment to democracy1 rule of law1 and market-based economics1 and its efforts to support these values around the world2 7#d7 congratulates the former communist countries of ,europe for their substantial progress over the past #cj years towards strengthening their democracies1 protecting human rights1 combating the corruption endemic to communist regimes1 transitioning to market-based economies1 and resolving longstanding disputes2 and 7#e7 reaffirms the ,united ,states commitment to supporting democratic reform1 and urges these countries to continue this progress so that their democracies and economies can thrive and their people can prosper4