Culture
Bonn Embassy cable, The German Question and Reunification
As events in Eastern Europe and especially in East Germany continued to pick up the pace, speculation began to grow, both within the two Germanies and internationally, that German reunification was once again a topic for debate.
Czechoslovak Ministry of Interior Memorandum, The Security Situation in the CSSR in the Period Before 28 October
October 28 holds a special place on the Czechoslovak political calendar because on that day the First Czechoslovak Republic was established in 1918.
Memorandum of Conversation Between Egon Krenz, Secretary General of the Socialist Unity Party and Mikhail S. Gorbachev
The new Secretary General of East Germany, Egon Krenz, traveled to Moscow on November 1, 1989 to meet in person with Gorbachev and assess the situation in East Germany and discuss possible paths forward.
Documenting a Democracy: Australia's Story
This site has particular strengths in presenting legal and constitutional materials on the emergence of a democratic nation in a colonial context.
Guenter Schabowski's Press Conference in the GDR International Press Center
Günther Schabowski, the spokesman for the East German Communist Party Politburo, played a vital role in the toppling of the East German Communist government in the fall of 1989.
Verbal Message from Mikhail Gorbachev to Helmut Kohl
With the opening of the border between East and West Germany on November 9, 1989, jubilant crowds took to the streets in Berlin to celebrate this historic event.
The Russian Revolution: The Problem of Dictatorship
In January 1988, dissidents in East Germany mounted a counter-demonstration during the annual parade honoring the lives of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht. Luxemburg and Liebknecht were both killed by right-wing Freikorps vigilantes during the 1919 January revolution.
Excerpt from Freye Klier's Diary
Freya Klier was a leading theatrical director in East Germany. She and her husband, Stephan Krawczyk, were outspoken critics of the East German regime and were among the leading organizers of the counter-demonstration during the annual Liebknecht-Luxemburg parade in January 1988.
Remembering the Dead
Professor Dr. Heinz Kamnitzer was the head of the East German writers group, PEN.
Prague Embassy cable, Brutal Suppression of Czech Students' Demonstration
This official cable sets forth the reaction of the U.S. Embassy in Czechoslovakia to the events of November 17, 1989.