Christian Führer

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Christian Führer
Born 5 March 1943
Leipzig
Nationality German
Occupation Leipzig
Known for Leading figure during the Monday Demonstrations in East Germany
Religious beliefs Evangelic

Christian Führer (help·info) (born 5 March 1943 in Leipzig) is an evangelic reverend and one of the leading figures and organisators of the 1989 Monday Demonstrations in East Germany which finally lead to the german reunification and the end of the GDR in 1990[1].

Contents

[edit] Live

Christian Führer grew up in Langenleuba-Oberhain, Sachsen. He studied Theology 1961-1966 on the University of Leipzig. He worked as Reverend in Lastau and Colditz until 1980 he became the Reverend of the Nikolai Church in Leipzig. He retired on 31 March 2008[2].

[edit] Peace Prayers ("Friedensgebete")

In 1980 Führer helped to organize peace prayers (called Friedensgebete in german) as part of a joint protest action of evangelic youth organisations. Starting on 20 September 1982 the peace prayers were held every monday in the Nikolai Church in Leipzig focusing against the Cold War between the east and the west.

In 1987 he organized a pilgrim in the context of the Olof Palme peace march[3]. 1988 he moderated prayers for the arrested protesters of the Liebknecht-Luxemburg-Demonstration [4].

On 19 February 1988 Führer held a speech Living and Staying in the GDR (original title: "Leben und Bleiben in der DDR") in the Nikolai Church[5]. Many opposition members attended the speech which marks a special date of east german resistance against the Honecker Regime.

[edit] Peaceful East German Revolution 1989

In the beginnings of 1989 the east german authorities, especially the Stasi imposed more and more pressure to halt the peace prayers in Leipzig. They controlled access roads and arrested random "suspects" inside and off the church. However, they were unsuccessful, the monday prayers continued with increasing attendees.

On 9 October troups of the army, police and Stasi officers arrived in front of the church. About 1.000 members of the SED were ordered into the church. Nearly to the end of the peace prayers a manifestum were called out, created by Kurt Masur, Bernd-Lutz Lange, Peter Zimmermann and three low charges of the SED (later called the The Leipzig Six, original: "Die Leipziger Sechs")[6], applealing to all attendees not to use force and to stay peaceful. The demonstration happening right after the prayers on the date with about 70.000 people were in fact peaceful.

The mantra No Violence! (original: Keine Gewalt!) created that very day by Führer were used by more than 300.000 people on the following demonstrations. The whole east german revolution remained peaceful.

[edit] After the Reunification

After 1989 Führer stood up for unemployed people, he was a co-founder of the Kirchliche Erwerbsloseninitiative Leipzig. In 2004 he again organized monday demonstrations against the dismadismantling of the welfare state and Hartz IV [7]. He also helds regular peace prayers since then once again.

On 30 March 2008 he held his final worship in the Nikolai Church and retired[8].

[edit] Prizes and Awards

  • 1991: Theodor-Heuss-Prize, together with Joachim Gauck, Ulrike Poppe and Jens Reich[9].
  • 2002: Johann-Philipp-Palm-Prize [10]
  • 2004: Goldene Henne, "Held der Wende" (eng: Hero of the change) [11]
  • 2005: Peaceprize of Augsburg (together with Mikhail Gorbachev) [12]

[edit] Media

[edit] Literature

  • Freunde und Feinde. Friedensgebete in Leipzig zwischen 1981 und dem 9. Oktober 1989. Dokumentation. by Christian Dietrich and Uwe Schwabe, Leipzig 1994 ISBN 3374015514
  • Nikolaikirche, offen für alle by Karl Czok, Christian Führer, Friedrich Magirius, Evangelische Verlagsanstalt 1999 ISBN 3-37401-740-1
  • Nikolaikirche by Erich Loest 1995 ISBN 3-88243-382-5
  • Voices in Times of Change: The Role of Writers, Opposition Movements and the Churches in the Transformation of East Germany (Culture and Society in Germany Vol 3) by David Rock 1999 ISBN 978-1571819598
  • Berlin Witness: An American Diplomat's Chronicle of East Germany's Revolution by G. Jonathan Greenwald 1993 ISBN 0271009322
  • Leipzig by Tobias Gohlis 2004 ISBN 377016072X
  • Leipziger Ring : Aufzeichnungen eines Montagsdemonstranten 1989/1990 by Reiner Tetzner 2004 ISBN 3-932558-98-7

[edit] References

  1. ^ RBB Online, Chronicle of the german reunification, bio of Christian Führer, german
  2. ^ FAZ 11/April/2008, "Christian Führers Abschied", german
  3. ^ Peace Magazine, Dec 1987 - Jan 1988, page 20, "Olof Palme Peace March"
  4. ^ regular traditional demonstration in memory of the murdered socialists Liebknecht and Luxemburg, german wikipedia entry
  5. ^ Office of the Federal Commissioner Preserving the Records of the Ministry for State Security of the GDR, list of momorial days, german
  6. ^ Berliner Literaturkritik, Rezension, Heldenstadt der DDR, german
  7. ^ Mondaydemonstrations 2004 on Wikipedia germany
  8. ^ Stern, 31/3/2008, Abschied einer Wendeikone
  9. ^ Theodor-Heuss Stiftung, Prize Winners 1991
  10. ^ Palm-Stiftung, Johann Philipp Palm Preis, Laudatio for Christian Führer, german
  11. ^ Winners of the Goldene Henne 2004, german
  12. ^ City of Augsburg, Winners 2005, german
  13. ^ IMDB, The burning wall, 2002, documentary about life and dissent in East Germany from 1949-1989

[edit] Sources

[edit] See Also

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