Fall of the Berlin WallMontagsdemonstrationen :Fall of the Berlin WallMontagsdemonstrationen Casey Navin Shannon Cebron Calvin Price Wir sind das Volk


Slide 3:In the September of 1989, growing discontent in the East German city of Leipzig reached a breaking point. The slowdown of the economy and the limits on social freedoms began to take its toll on the East German citizens. In the shadow of Berlin, the people of Leipzig felt compelled to voice their opinions.


Slide 5:The pastors of a Lutheran church, Nikolaikirche, decided to hold prayer meetings every Monday evening in support of the Leipzig people. These meetings gathered thousands of disgruntled citizens in the same place, protesting peacefully for reform of the government, and inspired similar movements across Eastern Germany.


Slide 7:The demonstrations focused on freedom of speech, freedom to travel, and the freedom to choose their governors through free and fair elections.


Slide 9:On October 9th, 1989, following the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the GDR, approximately 70,000 people gathered outside the Nickolaikirche, chanting “Wir sind das Volk” or “We are the People.”


Slide 11:The following two demonstrations, on October 16th and October 25th saw enormous crowds of 120,000 and 320,000 people, respectively, protesting the East German government.


Events that led up to theMontagsdemonstrationen :Events that led up to theMontagsdemonstrationen


Slide 17:In 1953 the intensification of “Sovietization” was announced by the GDR government. Protests began with construction workers striking in Berlin on June 16th. On the next day 40,000 protesters gathered in East Berlin demanding, ultimately, resignation of the East German government. The government decided to use force to stop the uprising. 383 people were killed.


Slide 19:In 1976 world coffee prices rose massively. Importing costs quadrupled in Germany. The Politburo responded by largely withdrawing cheap brands of coffee from the economy, and creating “Mischkaffee” (a coffee/herbal blend which is said to have tasted terrible). The crisis illustrated the ineffectiveness of the East German economy due to its structural problems and lack of hard currency.


Slide 20:Erich Honecker


Slide 21:In May of 1989 elections were held. Published results indicated that over 98% of the population voted for National Front candidates. It was clear that the polls had been rigged. Directly thereafter, applications for exit visas increased dramatically.


Slide 22:West German embassy in Prague


Slide 23:East Germans began staging sit-ins at diplomatic facilities in other Eastern capitals, especially Prague. Because so many of them were seeking refuge there, the living conditions were poor. The GDR agreed to allow these citizens to travel by train to West Germany provided they passed through East Germany on the way, deeming them ‘useless to society’ and ‘irresponsible traitors’.


Slide 24:Effects and Aftermath of the Montagsdemonstrationen


Slide 25:The demonstrations in Leipzig were the catalyst for a series of peaceful protests across East Germany against the ruling Socialist Unity Party (SED). The largest of these occurred in East Berlin on November 4th,1989, with over five hundred thousand protesters.


Slide 27:These protests continued throughout the remaining days of the GDR, causing immense political pressure in the East German government. This pressure forced many high-ranking officials, including General Secretary Erich Honecker, to resign. Eventually, the protesters became bold enough to invade the headquarters of the East German secret police, the Stasi, demonstrating the power the people achieved over their government.


Slide 29:The pressure caused by these protests was also a factor in the decision by the government to allow “Reisefreiheit,” or the freedom to travel abroad. Immediately after this decision, the people of East Berlin came out in the thousands to meet with the people of West Berlin and to tear down the Berlin wall.


Slide 31:Eventually, the overall pressure caused by these demonstrations would be a key factor in the “Wiedervereinigung”: the reunification of East and West Germany. The demonstrations themselves continued until March 1990, when the first free multi-party elections were held in East Germany.