© University of Reading 2006 www.reading.ac.uk

The Fall of the Wall Richard M McKenzie MA – Reading University

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Die Mauer

• 155km long

• 302 Observation

Towers

• 3.6m High

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Germany Divided

• Europe Divided

• More than 2 million

soldiers based in

Central Europe

• “Iron Curtain” Solid

• No change for 30 years

• “I like Germany so much

that I am glad there are

2 of them…”

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Cold War Cools Down

• 1979 NATO-Doppelbeschluss

• 1980 Poland in revolt – Solidarity

– 1981 Marshal Law

• 1982 Brezhnev dies

• 1985 Gorbachev – Perestroika

– Glasnost

• 1985-88 Reagan/Gorbachev summits:

– Geneva, Switzerland, Reykjavik, Moscow

• 1986 Chernobyl

• 1989 Opening of Hungarian Borders

• 1989 Tiananmen Square

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Mikhail S Gorbachev

• “…our common European Home…”

• “…the Sinatra doctrine…”

• “…Those who arrive too late are punished by like itself……”

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DDR Reaction

“…if your neighbours

was redecorating, did

that mean you have to

as well?...”

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Growth Of Opposition

• Protestant Church – Space for thought

• Peace Movement – Youth

– Fear of Nuclear destruction

– Opposition to militarisation of East Germany

• Bausoldaten

• Women’s Groups

• Artists

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The Protestant Revolution

• Breath-taking Change – 1988 Soviet Magazine Sputnik banned

– Jan 1989 Arrests at Rosa Luxemburg demonstration

– May SED falsified local Election results

– May Opening of Hungarian Border

• 6,000 people fled to Hungary

– June Tiananmen Square Massacre

– Summer GDR citizens occupy West German embassies in

Czechoslovakia, Hungary, East Berlin

• 15,000 people escape

– August Hungary recognises escaping GDR citizens as

refugees

– Summer Honecker on leave due to bladder cancer

– September “sealed trains” of refugees from Czechoslovakia

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The Protestant Revolution

• Breath-taking Change – Oct 1989 40 years of GDR celebrated

– Oct 1989 “Gorby Save us”

– Oct growth of new opposition groups

• New Forum, Democratic Awakening…

– Monday demonstrations in Leipzig 25,000 people

– Military forces despatched to Leipzig while Monday demos spread

– Oct 18th Honecker ousted by Egon Krenz

– “Wir blieben hier….”

– West Germany refuses to extend credits….

– Nov 7th Politburo reorganised and more freedoms discussed

– Nov 9th Wall opens

– 4,000 people leaving GDR a week

– December Politburo Resigns

– December 1989 SED changes name to SED-PDS

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2 States?

• Helmut Kohl

– Grabs initiative

– 28th Nov 10 Point

Plan

– Calmed European,

US and USSR fears

– Negotiated the

bankers

– Unity Chancellor

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DDR 1949-1990

• Socialist alternative

to capitalist W

Germany

• Anti Fascist

• SED leading role

• Never really

independent

• Possible to live an

ordinary life

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www.germanwarfilm.co.uk

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