The GDR holds its first free election

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The GDR holds its first free and democratic parliamentary elections on 18 March 1990.

Alliance for Germany, which supports Germany being reunified within the scope of the Basic Law, wins the most votes (48 percent). The alliance was a coalition of opposition parties: the CDU (a former bloc party whose leading candidate was Lothar de Maizière), the German Social Union and the Democratic Awakening.

The newly founded Social Democratic Party in the GDR (SDP, though it has changed its abbreviation to SPD by the time of the election) wins 21.9 percent of the vote.

Lothar de Maizière becomes prime minister of the GDR.

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Palast der Republik (Schlossplatz), 10178 Berlin

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1

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52.5175

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13.402222

date

February 1990
Evictions trigger riots

On 13 February 1990 a group of squatters occupy a former department store to save it from being demolished. The building stands on Oranienburger Strasse and dates back to the early 20th century. The new residents rename it Kunsthaus Tacheles and turn it into an art centre that becomes a popular tourist attraction. Members of the alternative scene occupy other buildings throughout the city. A lot of squatters from Kreuzberg move East after reunification. When police clear a number of squats in Mainzer Strasse, riots break out and last for days. The clearance is one of the largest police operations in Berlin’s post-war history.

Politics, Culture, East

01:42
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January 15, 1990
Dissolving the Stasi

The GDR’s secret service (Stasi) is being dissolved. Protestors storm its headquarters in East Berlin. For decades the Stasi spied on its own citizens and hounded political opponents. Its staff included numerous full-time spies as well as so-called “unofficial collaborators”. After the Wall fell, the GDR government initially had no plans to dissolve the Stasi. It is largely thanks to the Central Round Table and the citizens’ committees that the Stasi (which by then had been renamed the Office for National Security) was eventually abolished. Carlo Jordan represented the Greens at the Round Table.

Contemporary Witnesses, Politics, Opposition, East

01:44
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1990
West Berliners head East

In 1990, West Berliners surprise everyone by queuing up to change their money into Eastern marks. They’re using them to go bargain hunting in East Berlin. The most popular destination is the department store on Alexanderplatz.

Everyday Life, West, East

00:49
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1990
Chipping away at the Wall

The Eastern Block is gradually disintegrating. One of the most obvious signs of the change is the roaring trade going on at the Wall. People are chipping away at the concrete and selling the chunks, often with a certificate of authenticity. The Berlin Wall has become one big souvenir. Alwin Nachtweh was one of the entrepreneurs keeping souvenir hunters supplied with pieces of the Wall. He talks about how illegal traders avoided the authorities, and how East Berliners would try to sell him their old uniforms. Some of them, he says, had their whole lives in a plastic bag.

Everyday Life, West, East

01:52
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December 31, 1989
New Year at the Brandenburg Gate

By the time 1989 draws to a close, Berlin has changed beyond all recognition. The Wall is no longer the fearful thing it once was. The Brandenburg Gate, once a symbol of the divided city, opens up to pedestrians. After 28 years of separation, Berliners from both sides of the city see in the New Year together at the Brandenburg Gate.

Everyday Life, West, East

00:26
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November 10, 1989
Willy Brandt at Schöneberg town hall

On 10 November 1989, the day after the border opens, Willy Brandt is in West Berlin. The former chancellor served as Mayor of Berlin between 1957 and 1966, which means he was in power during the early years of the Wall. Brandt joins Chancellor Kohl in speaking at a rally outside Schöneberg town hall, where a crowd of Berliners have gathered. In his speech, he says: “From the war, and from the discord between the allied powers, grew the line that eventually divided Europe and Germany. Berlin reproduced this line in numerous ways. But now here we are, and I thank God that it has happened in my lifetime, watching as the two halves of Europe begin finding their way back to each other.” His famous words, “What belongs together can now grow together”, were not actually part of this speech. Also present at Schöneberg town hall are Walter Momper (Mayor of Berlin) and Hans-Dietrich Genscher (West Germany’s foreign minister).

Politics, West, East

02:14
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November 10, 1989
Helmut Kohl at Schöneberg town hall

On 10 November 1989, the day after the border opens, Chancellor Kohl gives a speech at a rally in West Berlin in front of Schöneberg town hall. The building was the seat of the Mayor of Berlin from 1949 to 1991. Also present at Schöneberg town hall are Walter Momper (Mayor of Berlin), Hans-Dietrich Genscher (West Germany’s foreign minister) and Willy Brandt (former chancellor). Chancellor Kohl has to try and make himself heard above the noise of the crowd. In his speech, he underlines the importance of German unity, talks about a united Germany in Europe and takes time to remember all those who lost their lives at the Wall. He calls for the country to reject radical ideas and voices, and to remain calm and act wisely in the days and weeks to come.

Politics, West, East

04:38
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July 01, 1990
Monetary union: Western marks for all

The economic, monetary and social union of West Germany and the GDR comes into force on 1 July 1990. The changes spell the end of the Eastern mark. GDR citizens finally have access to the Western mark, a long-time symbol of West German prosperity. Adults can change up to 4,000 Eastern marks at a rate of 1:1. For pensioners the maximum is 6,000. Savings in excess of those limits will be changed at a rate of 2:1. Wages and pensions are converted 1:1, and debts are halved. Brigitte Wnuck von Lipinski, landlady of Gittis Bierbar in Mitte, talks about the night before GDR money went out of circulation.

Contemporary Witnesses, Politics, West, East

01:53
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October 02, 1990
Allied control ends

Allied control in Berlin has been governing relations between the occupying powers and West Germany since 1949. This control, along with Berlin’s special status, comes to an end in early October 1990, when the GDR becomes part of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Two plus Four treaty is signed on 12 September 1990. It returns full sovereignty to Germany, giving the country sole control over its domestic and foreign affairs.

Politics, West

00:56
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October 03, 1990
Germany reunited

On 3 October 1990, just 329 days after the Wall fell, the GDR officially becomes part of the Federal Republic of Germany. The country has been reunited and Berlin is once again Berlin. The GDR actually began assuming large parts of West Germany’s economic and legal systems on 1 July 1990. When the Deutsche mark became the sole currency in the GDR, East Germany was as good as part of the Federal Republic. On 23 August, a special meeting of the People’s Chamber (the GDR’s parliament) agreed to the GDR joining West Germany under Article 23 of the Basic Law.

Politics, West, East

01:02
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location

October 18, 1989
Honecker steps down

After leading the SED for 18 years, Erich Honecker steps down on 18 November 1989. His successor is Egon Krenz, 25 years Honecker’s junior. Krenz will only spend a few weeks in power. Honecker flees to Moscow in 1991. The following year he is charged with manslaughter in Berlin in connection with the deaths of those who were shot and killed at the Wall. The case is dropped after Honecker’s lawyers complain to the Berlin Constitutional Court. In 1993 Honecker emigrates to Chile, where he dies a year later at the age of 81.

Politics, East

00:33
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May 18, 1976
9th SED conference: cementing the divide

As well as increasing social spending, the 9th SED party conference (18-22 May 1976) also agrees a new manifesto. Designed to cement the GDR’s ideological separation from the West, the document does away with any mention of German unity.

Politics, East

00:37
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April 17, 1986
Gorbachev visits East Berlin

Mikhail Gorbachev, head of state of the Soviet Union, visits East Berlin in April 1986 for the 11th party conference of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED). At this stage, the party’s hardliners still have the upper hand in the GDR. Gorbachev, who has only been in office for a year, uses the occasion to speak about glasnost and perestroika. Right at the end of his visit, he gives an interview at Schönefeld airport. He jokes that in the Soviet Union everyone says “DDR” (the German initials for GDR) stands for “dawai, dawai, rabotai,” which translates roughly as “go on, go on, work”.

Politics, East

01:41
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April 23, 1976
Palace of the Republic opens

The Palace of the Republic opens in East Berlin with a celebration for its builders, technicians, engineers, architects, and anyone else who was involved in its construction. Two days later it opens to the public. The building is home to the People’s Chamber (the parliament of the GDR) and is also a conference and events centre. Built on the site of the old city palace, the imposing structure is the new jewel in East Berlin’s crown. Caretaker Bernd Wolfgang spent weeks preparing everything for the grand opening. In this film he talks about his first days on duty in the palace.

Contemporary Witnesses, Everyday Life, East

02:49
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1983
Udo Lindenberg plays East Berlin

Rock singer Udo Lindenberg receives permission to give a concert in East Berlin in October 1983. He and his Panikorchester perform in the Palace of the Republic to an audience of carefully selected young East Germans. Egon Krenz, head of the Free German Youth organisation, is also in attendance. While the concert is going on inside, police are mistreating and brutally arresting fans who have gathered outside on the street. Nikolaus Becker witnessed the events and talks about what it was like.

Contemporary Witnesses, Culture, West, East

03:24
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November 02, 1973
Laying the foundation stone of the Palace of the Republic

A new palace is emerging in East Berlin: the Palace of the Republic. Berlin Palace once stood on this spot. The GDR authorities had the grand Prussian building blown up in 1950. A “palace for the people” will now take its place. It will also be home to the GDR's People's Parliament. The modern building's doors will open 32 months later in 1976.

Everyday Life, East

00:49
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May 01, 1962
The first of May in East and West

1 May celebrations a year after the Wall goes up: A military parade is held in East Berlin to mark Labour Day, which falls on a Tuesday that year. Over in West Berlin, Federal President Heinrich Lübke gives a speech at the Reichstag.

Politics, West, East

00:42
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1987
Renovating East Berlin

As part of the preparations for the city's 750th anniversary, East Berlin decides to thoroughly renovate some of its most important buildings, including the Friedrichswerde Church and the French Cathedral on Gendarmenmarkt square. It also gets to work on the Nikolai Quarter and Sophienstrasse, a street filled with historic workshops. Kristina Laduch was an architect for the city at the time. She talks about what it was like working on the Sophienstrasse project.

Contemporary Witnesses, Everyday Life, East

02:10
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1983
Cross-border relations ease

West Berlin is helping reconstruct the Nikolai Quarter, East Berlin’s decaying old town. Parts of the façade of the Ephraim palace, which have been in West Berlin ever since the war, are sent back across the border and later used to reconstruct the palace. It reopens in 1987. Another sign of East and West moving closer comes when Richard von Weizsäcker visits East Berlin. It is the first time a mayor of Berlin has visited the other side.

Politics, West, East

00:42
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May 03, 1971
Honecker succeeds Ulbricht

The Central Committee has a spring clean: in May 1971 Walter Ulbricht steps down from the post of General Secretary and First Secretary of the SED Central Committee at the age of 77 due to health reasons. He is succeeded by Erich Honecker. Ulbricht has been ousted from power with Moscow's blessing.

Politics, East

00:56
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