The Polish trade union, Solidarność, and its leader Lech Walesa, become household names across Europe and the world following the Gdansk shipyard strikes in the summer of 1980. In 1981, Greece becomes the 10th member of the EU and Spain and Portugal follow five years later.
In 1986 the Single European Act is signed. This is a treaty which provides the basis for a vast six-year program aimed at sorting out the problems with the free-flow of trade across EU borders and thus creates the ‘Single Market’.
There is major political upheaval when, on 9 November 1989, the Berlin Wall is pulled down and the border between East and West Germany is opened for the first time in 28 years, this leads to the reunification of Germany when both East and West Germany are united in October 1990.
These wonderful photos were taken by
paul_3747 that show street scenes of Europe in 1985 and 1986.
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| East Germany. Erfurt, 1985 |
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| Denmark. Copenhagen, 1985 |
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| East Germany. ‘Beware of the tanks!’ sign,Village of Crawinkel, July 1986 |
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| East Germany. Dresden, October 1985 |
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| East Germany. Early morning in Dresden, October 1985 |
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| East Germany. Frauenkirche, Dresden, October 1985 |
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| East Germany. Suhl, 1986 |
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| East Germany. Village of Crawinkel, January 1986 |
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| East Germany. Village of Crawinkel, January 1986 |
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| East Germany. Village of Crawinkel, January 1986 |
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| East Germany. Village of Crawinkel, July 1986 |
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| East Germany. Waren, July 1986 |
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| East Germany. Waren, July 1986 |
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| East Germany. Zwinger Palace, Dresden, October 1985 |
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| England. “The Eagle” in Shepherd’s Bush, London, 1985 |
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| England. Admiral Nelson, Trafalgar Square, London, 1985 |
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| England. Covent Garden Market, London, 1985 |
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| England. Palace Gates Road, Wood Green, London, 1986 |
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| England. The Eagle, 215 Askew Road, Hammersmith, London, 1985 |
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| Germany. West Berlin, 1985 |
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| Poland. Warsaw, 1985 |
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| Poland. Warsaw, 1985 |
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| Poland. Warsaw, 1985 |
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| Poland. Warsaw, 1985 |
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| Poland. Warsaw, 1985 |
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| Somewhere in Belarus (the main highway between Moscow and Warsaw), June 1985 |
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| USSR. Bolshoi Theatre with scaffolding on it, Moscow, June 1985 |
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| USSR. Kremlin, Moscow, June 1985 |
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| USSR. Leningrad (Saint Petersburg), June 1985 |
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| USSR. Moscow car park, 1985 |
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| USSR. Moscow, June 1985 |
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| USSR. Novgorod, June 1985 |
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| USSR. Saint Basil’s Cathedral and Kremlin, Moscow, June 1985 |
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| USSR. Smolensk, 1985 |
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| USSR. Winter Palace, Leningrad, 1985 |
