Reunification 1989-1991 Flashcards
Internal problems in the GDR: Growth of political activism
- Increased reform movement in 1980s seeking to change, sparked by 1978 church discussion group agreement, gave pretence for reform movement
- Michail Gorbachev, reformist first secretary of USSR
- -> refore groups with specific aims
- Increased reform=stasi repression
- Luxemberg Liebknecht parade banners ‘freedom is always the freedom to think differently’, arrests, exile for leaders
- –> Increased non violent protest, lepzig, Monday services (church/state relations broken down)
- Honecker refuses to reform, relies on repression, censored Soviet magazine supporting Gorbachev’s reformism (180 000 subscribers)
- Could not be repressed, catalyst was East European affairs
Influence of Mikhail Gorbachev on GDR affairs
- 1985, leader of Soviet Union
- Perestroika (reconstruction) and glastnost (openness)
- Reforms in USSR=expectations of reform in Eastern Europe, expectation of Honecker’s government to step aside
- Renounces ‘Breznhev Doctrine’, USSR interference in East European affairs, military presence too expensive
- New support for reform movements, ‘Sinatra Doctrine’ ‘let them do it their way’
- Irritation with Honecker, whose policy was polar opposite
- Moscow scheming on how to remove him, late 1989
Impact of changes in Communist Eastern Europe on the GDR
- Polish government collapse, August 1989, replaced by reform movement ‘solidarity’
- Hungary reform, summer, multi party democracy
- -> Dismantling of Austria/Hungary border, Iron curtain broken, East West movement easy Summer 1989. Floods of immigrants disobeyed anti Hungary travel order from GDR
- Prague>Czechoslovakia>FRG embassy>Freedom trains to west for passport and start up sum. 5000 camped there, allowed to pass to West so SED could play view that travel was generosity (40th anniversary celebrations)
- –> Other embassies targeted
- Hungary opens border in September to relieve pressure. East/West divide broken
German protest movements and silent marches
-Summer/Autumn 1989, reform movement, discussion
- ‘East German SPD’, ‘United Left’, ‘Democracy Now’, ‘Democracy Awakening’
-Wanted reform, free speech/movement/assembly and a free market economy
-‘Neues Forum’, discussion outside confines of church,
- United, groups addressed 2000 on 4th October, commitment to transformation democratically
-Lepzig marches, september 5000, then 20 000, 40th anniversary, 210 arrested
09th October, fears of Tiannamen Square style incident, 70 000, police/troops on alert, local SED/pastor Peter Zimmerman/Kurt Masur, appealed for calm, police disperse
—> later 100 000, 250 000, 300 000 on 30th October
Eric Honecker and internal collapse
- Honecker refuses to acknowledge reform support from below
- 6 week absence for illness
- Banned visa free travel to czeckoslovakia
- 40th anniversary, obvious lack of support from Gorbachev, arrests at Berlin protests and staged celebration, WEAK
- Coup against him from key advisors including Stomph, and Mielke, meeting 17th October, article that he resign. Shocked but gave in, officially on health grounds
- Honecker was lulled into false sense of security, high power base, all executive decisions made by him, unaware of discontent
Krenz initial measures as General Secretary of the SED
Trip to moscow, met with solidarity leaders in poland
- Right to travel to west, 30 days, initially rejected by Volkskammer
- Freedom to leave for refugees in Prague embassy
- Constitutional court
- Democratic elections
- Legalisation of Neus Forum
- –> Key ministers such as M Honecker (education, wife of Honecker) and Mielke (stasi) removed
BUT too little too late, Krenz not trusted, more talk of reform
- Rejected opening wall, reunification or giving up SED leadership
- –> 1 000 000 march on streets calling for freedom
- –> more people 9000 daily, leaving over Czech border
- –> East German government resigns 7/11
The opening of the Berlin Wall
- Press conference, Schabowski, spokesman, ‘regulation allowing all GDR citizens to pass at any of the crossings’…‘effective immediately, without delay’, proposal only draft but statement could not be retracted
- -> Crowds of 1000s at Bornholmer/Strasse crossing, guards ordered to avoid bloodshed, had to let them through
- 9 000 000 visit west in Week one
- 2000 a day in december stayed in the West
Final attempts to reform/preserve East German regime and failure
- Mass exodus, 2000 a day staying in West in December, weakened economy, burdened FRG
- Opening border + Krenz liberalising reforms encouraged new opposition to GDR
- New chairman of CDU, Maizerie, concrete reforms, temporary stability, rejected unification for ‘cooperative existence’, separation of party/state power
- Credibility of SED damaged by revelations of corruption, extravagance, stasi repression. SPD> Party of Democratic Socialism
- Volsgammer removes SED’s leading role in constitution
- Economy: deficit of 17 Billion, 12.9 billion foreign debt
- Lack of FRG support, Kohl rejected pleas from Modrow for financial aid
Elections March 1990
- West German parties backed East German parties
- Kohl’s alliance for Germany (Democracy Awakening/CDU/CSU) 48.1% vote, supported reunification and social market economy. Leader, Maiziere, made head of new East German Government
