Peaceful revolution

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The Peaceful Revolution (German: Friedliche Revolution) was a series of peaceful political protests against the socialist government of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) of East Germany. The demonstrations began on Monday, September 4.1989 at the Church of Saint Nicholas, in Leipzig with parson Christian Führer. The non-violent demonstrations were a key component in the fall of the Berlin Wall and ultimately led to the fall of the East German regime.[1]

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[edit] Earlier Demonstrations

Opposition to the East German government and its leader, Walter Ulbricht, had existed since the 1950s. Before the Peaceful Revolution there were a few demonstrations that usually had little to no effect on the regime. For example in June 17, 1953, there were demonstrations and strikes that were quickly and violently suppressed by the Soviet troops, which had been stationed in East Germany. At the time most of the opposition was left up to the elite. The elite resistance was led by Wolfgang Harich, and other like minded individuals. The elite resistance ultimately had little to no effect on the government, and ended with the elite resistant members being incarcerated after a series of farce-trials. Until 1989, the only form of popular protest was the increasing rate of East Germans that were fleeing to the West. By 1960 there were already three million East Germans that had left. In 1961, the East German government, in an attempt to stop its quickly decreasing population, constructed the Berlin Wall.[2]

[edit] External Factors that Facilitated the Revolution

There were two radical external factors that caused a stir in the East German people, and gave them hope that change was near, along with strengthening widespread opposition for the East German regime. First, In 1983 Mikhail Gorbachev rose to power in Moscow, and introduced a new foreign policy, which let to the termination of the Brezhnev doctrine. It ultimately meant that Moscow’s allies, including East Germany, could no longer count on the Soviet foreign military aid. This also meant that East Germany was left alone in trying to control the growing opposition from its citizens. Second, in May 1989 the Budapest government decided to take down the obstructions and obstacles that were set up along East Germany and Hungarian border, which enabled 661 East Germans to flee to the West. Eventually, Hungary ended its agreement with the East German government and completely opened its borders to the East Germany population. Within a few days, 15,000 East Germans had emigrated. [3] [4]

[edit] The Peaceful Revolution

View from the west side of graffiti art on the wall's infamous "death strip"
View from the west side of graffiti art on the wall's infamous "death strip"

By September 1989, the East German people had become more unruly, and many opposition movements were created. Among them were the Neues Forum (New Forum), Demokratischer Aufbruch (Democratic Awakening), and Demokratie Jetzt (Democracy Now). The largest opposition movements was created through a Protestant church service at Leipzig’s Nikolaikirche, German for Church of Saint Nicholas, were each Monday after service citizens gather outside demanding change in East Germany. The demonstrators strong tie to the church helped assure the peaceful nature of the demonstrations. The group grew from week to week and by October 9, 1989 there were 120,000 non-violent protestors, and a week later there were 320,000. Once other East Germany cities, such as East Berlin, Karl-Marx-Stadt, and Potsdam, heard about the Leipzig demonstrations they too began meeting on Monday nights at the city squares. On November 4, 1989 over five hundred East Germans gathered in protest in the streets of East Berlin. The severity in the size of the demonstrations proved that the majority of the population was against the regime. “We are the people” was the main chant of the non-violent protestors that could be heard echoing throughout the streets of East Germany. It came to symbolize the power of the people united against its oppressive government. They wanted democracy, free elections and freedom of mobility.[5]

By October 18, 1989, along with East Germany’s falling industrial and public service infrastructure, due to the lack of man power because of the high number of citizens leaving the country at a rate of 10,000 per day, and with the large non-violent demonstrations carried out through out the country, caused enough pressure to force key figures of the politburo into early retirement. Including Margot Honecker, Erich Mielke, Kurt Hager, and Hans Tisch. By November 7, 1989 the entire government, under Willi Stoph resigned. Then, on November 9,1989, Günter Schabowski, the spokesperson for the government, declared that effective immediately, all East German citizens were free to travel abroad without fear of being persecuted and with out needing permission from government. Later that evening, pictures were broadcasted all over the world of thousands climbing and tearing down the Berlin Wall in the presence of the helpless East German guards that could do nothing about it. In the following days, thousands of East Germans were free to come and go as they pleased, a right that had been denied to them for years.[6] In December 1989, Egon Krenz resigned from his duties, and East Germany’s communist political party, the SED, (Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands) disintegrated. The demonstrations eventually ended in March 1990, around the time of the first free multi-party elections. [7]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Cate, Curtis (1978). The Ides of August: The Berlin Wall Crisis—1961. New York City: M. Evans
  2. ^ Bleiker , Roland. “Nonviolent Struggle and the Revolution in East Germany” The Albert Einstein Institution. 1993.
  3. ^ Bleiker 1993.
  4. ^ Coit D. Blacker. "The Collapse of Soviet Power in Europe." Foreign Affairs. 1990.
  5. ^ Bleiker , Roland. “Nonviolent Struggle and the Revolution in East Germany” The Albert Einstein Institution. 1993.
  6. ^ Bleiker , Roland. “Nonviolent Struggle and the Revolution in East Germany” The Albert Einstein Institution. 1993.
  7. ^ Bleiker , Roland. “Nonviolent Struggle and the Revolution in East Germany” The Albert Einstein Institution. 1993.

[edit] References

  • Cate, Curtis (1978). The Ides of August: The Berlin Wall Crisis—1961. New York City: M. Evans.
  • Coit D. Blacker. "The Collapse of Soviet Power in Europe." Foreign Affairs. 1990.
  • Bleiker , Roland. “Nonviolent Struggle and the Revolution in East Germany” The Albert Einstein Institution. 1993.

[edit] See Also

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