The East German Revolution and the End of the Post war Era

The revolutionary events in Germany were vital to the ending of the post-war era. Specifically, the 1989 East Germany revolution started a process that was initially perceived as being impossible at the time. The East German revolution was a peaceful process of sociopolitical change that caused the end of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany which was sponsored by the German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany). The revolution also led Germany to transition to parliamentary democracy; ultimately enabling the reunification of the country. These significant changes in Germany were wholly executed through non-violent initiatives, successful demonstrations, and protests. According to Fulbrook (319), these factors are vital in explaining the changes that occurred in between the period and consequently giving a background to understanding the nature of the peaceful East German revolution of 1989.

The factors are: i. The Discipline in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) Discipline in the GDR was a major factor that contributed to the calmness in East Germany between the suppression of the 1953 uprising the revolution of the 1989 Fulbrook (319). Contrary to its neighbors Czechoslovakia and Poland, GDR had was largely led by coherent elites. In the 1950s, several leaders in the SED who were considered incompetent and undesirable were removed from positions of leadership in the party and replaced with more proficient and skillful leaders. ii. The Identification and Diffusion of Dissent Another factor that enabled a calm situation in East Germany between the suppression of the 1953 uprising and the revolution of 1989 was the SED’s strategic ability to isolate and neutralize any dissent. In the 1960s and 1970s in East Germany, intellectual dissenters were relatively scared and the few available could not command a mass following.

The SED employed effective strategies that saw dissenters being put under house arrest or voluntarily or involuntarily exiled in West Germany. For example, given the strictness of the SED, many prominent writers critiquing East Germany’s government chose to publish their content in West Germany. An immediate comparison to neighboring Poland showed a significant contrast since the Polish were subjected deprivation that often resulted in food riots. As such, the East Germans had some pride in how SED controlled the economy. The positive aspects of the economy were effective in diffusing the grumbles that existed about SED’s shortcomings. Therefore, the public had little excuse to cause massive political unrest in East Germany between the repression of the 1953 uprising and the mid-1980s. Changes that led to the 1989 Revolution Despite the disciplined nature of the SED and the lack of material discontent leading to minimal intellectual dissension, several changes occurred in East Germany that diminished the previously stable state of the ruling regime in East Germany.

The only exception to this particular rule was religious events. Following the strict rules on public events, church crusades provided ideal platforms for government critiques to air their views. As such, very few of the church-organized events were entirely devoted to religious issues. Following these developments, churches gradually became supportive of the political, social and environmental discussions relevant to East German society. For this reason, the government-introduced regulations of the 1970s paradoxically strengthened the cooperation between the East German churches and the groups actively involved in opposing the government. These differences played a vital role in the development of events leading to the 1989 revolution. External Factors that triggered the 1989 East German Revolution Although dissent and the eventual destabilization inside the German Democratic Republic significantly contributed to the revolution, the radical transformations in the external context were also vital in the developments.

As illustrated by Fulbrook (319), a major external factor contributing to the 1989 East German revolution was the changes in the neighboring states. In 1989, the communist regimes in the neighboring Hungary and Poland experienced radical transformation, setting the pace for the whole process of revolutionary changes in eastern Europe. Specifically, it was the changes in Hungary involving the transformation to a multi-party state that proved the proximate cause of the 1989 East German revolution. The establishment of these groups represented a new phase of East Germany dissent. With the descent groups, the West Germans conceived the idea of the possibility of creating an alternative government. With the desire for change, the people were concerned of more than just peace, environmentalism and human rights. They also considered a broader range of policies and regulations and the problems associated with nationwide reforms.

The Revolution By the late-1980s many East Germans were angered by the government-imposed restrictions to leave the country. The organizers of the demonstrations ensured that the demonstrators gave the corps no excuses to attack. All that the protestors carried were candles and banners written: “We are the people. ” The demonstrations sent the message that the time for war and violence was over. Some journalists secretly recorded the peaceful demonstrations and broadcast the footage on West German television. The peaceful nature of the demonstrations inspired even more East Germans to join the protests every Monday. Within no time, East German shops stocked a wide variety of West German goods. Following the unification, East Germany was expected to experience a dislocation in its economy for some time but had long-term hopes that the introduced market forces would make united Germany as economically productive and affluent as West Germany had been (Fulbrook 325).

In the national political context, the East and West German political parties started reaching a consensus among themselves. The reasoning was that an effective economic union between the two states signaled the possibility of a successful common political administration. However, On the administrative front, it was difficult for East Germany to bargain over the retention of certain social rights since the negotiations were conducted with all the initiatives on the West German side.