20 years since the fall of the Berlin wall

Rare events in our recent history made more dramatic changes to the world and to the supply chains than the fall of the Berlin wall. Democratization of Eastern Europe and changes towards market economy in China opened unprecedented opportunities for economic development for a huge amount of new businesses.

I was still in the Soviet Union at that time. Being behind the Berlin wall we knew that good shoes came from Yugoslavia, good suits came from the Czechoslovakia, good furniture came from GDR, stereo recorders came from Latvia, wine came from Georgia and Armenia, and tanks and planes were made in Russia.

Suddenly everything changed. Borders opened, international travel became a reality. Thousands and thousands of people lost their traditional jobs and went to trade anything they could as a means to sustain themselves. New engineering, manufacturing, logistics companies, banks and grocery stores sprang to life all over the place. This combined with internet revolution allowed for totally different possibilities. I noticed recently, for example, that most of the glass in Crate and Barrel comes from Poland and from Czech republic, a direct attribute to what happened 20 years ago.

Change is always hard but this change made all of our lives better in the end.