1. What is all that,
Iron Curtain,
Berlin Wall,
Czech Velvet Revolution?
What happened in 1989?
A very brief account of the struggle for freedom
2. The iron curtain had been separating the east and the west
of Europe for decades. Politicians of the communist regimes
were afraid that people emigrate to the West in large
numbers.
For travelling into West Germany after 1961 East Germans
below 65 had to take considerable bureaucratic hurdles, for
many it was simply not possible. Usually only those who
agreed to collaborate with the regime as spies were allowed
to travel to the West.
3. Spring 1989 - Iron curtain opened in Hungary, as the Communist Party no longer ruled the
country: border to Austria open from May onwards, Hungary allows many East-Germans
(=people from German Democratic Republic) to travel to West-Germany
4. Change was in the air all over. A certain movement towards reforms was noticeable in several
states, particularly in Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hungary. This went along with Michail
Gorbatschow - then president of the Soviet Union - introducing new politics, for example did he
announce disarmament and allowed far-reaching political changes to take place.
He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1990.
The increasing
atmosphere of crisis in
East Germany from 1980
onwards made many
people have serious
scepticism towards their
system.
Gorbatschow caused
new hope among East
Germans, the more
adventurous try to leave
the country in ever rising
numbers.
5. Ever more people take to the streets to express their discontent: Monday demonstrations take
place in many cities, an enormous wave of protest goes along with the celebrations of 40 years
of GDR (=East German state under communist rule).
7. In October 1989 up until 3500 East Germans = GDR-citizens are able to enter the West
German embassy in Prague - they want to travel to the West, 17 000 in total are allowed to
emigrate after negotiations with the West.
8. Many tears of happiness were shed by people meeting again
after having been separated for decades!
10. November 9th, 1989: People all over Eastern Europe witness the Fall of the German Wall
Poland already had a government with a non-communist head then,
three days later in Bulgaria the communist party government was overthrown with its leader
more than three decades in office.
12. There was another huge student demonstration in Prague the next day with more than 15.000
people participating.
As about 600 people were injured by security forces there was a wave of protest and strikes,
Prague theatres’ actors joined the strike soon – these were, as we know, the beginnings of
Velvet Revolution.
13. December 5, barbed wire fences between Austria and
Czech Republic are cut
14. Later in December, 1989: Cutting of fences between Germany and Czech Republic
15. So what we are experiencing today
is the freedom our parents’ generation
fought for.
We have been taking it
for granted since the Nineties,
let’s do our best to make the most of it!
Let’s find out more until March!
