The major event marking the beginning of the end for the Cold War was the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. This physical and symbolic barrier separating East and West Berlin represented the larger ideological divide between communism and capitalism. Its dismantling signaled a significant shift toward democratization in Eastern Europe and diminished Soviet control over the region. As Eastern Bloc nations began to assert their independence, the collapse of the wall ignited movements for reform and ultimately contributed to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, effectively ending the Cold War era.