"The execution of the Romanovs, in 1918, marked Russia's irrevocable shift from a monarchy to a communist state. The destruction of the Berlin Wall, in 1989, signified the collapse of that state and its Marxist ideology. This gripping, highly realistic program cinematically dramatizes the events of these two historic watersheds: indelible emblems of the birth pains and death throes of the Soviet Union. The story begins at the Ipativev House, where a dynasty died, and ends at Checkpoint Charlie, where the will of the people spoke--and the gates to freedom opened. Original BBCW broadcast title: The murder of the Romanovs and the fall of the Berlin Wall."--Container.