The Guardian’s Europe correspondent Jon Henley and picture editor Guy Lane reflect on a half-century of upheaval
Fifty years ago, Europe was divided into two hostile blocs, locked in a cold war between east and west. In the south, millions still lived under dictatorships. Denmark, Ireland and the UK had just joined a European union – bringing its membership to nine.
In the five decades since, authoritarian regimes have fallen and democracies reborn. Walls have come down, federations have disintegrated and bloody wars ensued. There have been many crises: political, economic, human.
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