Until the publication of the travel arrangements by Günter Schabowski and the onrush of countless citizens on the border crossings in Berlin on November 9, 1989 and the formal reunification on October 3, 1990, Germany was divided.
This division began with the proclamation of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) on May 23, 1949 and the subsequent proclamation of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) on October 7, 1949.
Germany became so and because of West Berlin as an enclave in the socialist block to the staging area in the Cold War.
In the course of the division, the tension grew increasingly initially with the founding of NATO on April 4, 1949 and the subsequent establishment of the Warsaw Pact on May 14, 1955.
And even before the construction of the Berlin Wall on August 13, 1961 the establishment of a 3 mile wide exclusion zone along the German-German border and the forced relocation of more than 12,000 people began on 26, and 27, May 1952.
The "Timeline of how the Wall fell" by Hans-Hermann Hertle describes how it came to the reunification and in great detail how it happened. The book first appeared in 1996 and is currently only available in German. Hertle was born on June 29, 1955 and since 1999 Hertle is a research assistant at the Center for Contemporary History in Potsdam. In cooperation with Hertle a digital archive has been created about the history of divided Germany and the fall of the Wall.
[2]
On the evening of November 9, 1989 Günter Schabowski appeared as de facto government spokesman before the press. He announced the "Temporary transitional arrangements for permanent departure".
The enclosed decision on temporary transitional arrangements for travel and permanent departure from the GDR is confirmed.
Proposal for a Decision
To change the situation of the permanent departure of GDR citizens to Germany via the CSSR is determined:
But at 18:53 the head correspondent of the Italian news agency ANSA Riccardo Ehrman asked for details about the travel law. Günter Schabowski reacted at least surprised. With his answer he solved the onslaught on the same evening brought the border to case.
Ehrman's question was no coincidence. As he himself revealed 20 years later and contrary to earlier statements Günter Pötschke instructed him to ask the question shortly before the press conference. The question was according to Pötschke very, very important. Pötschke was general director of the East German news agency ADN and a member of the central-committee.
Schabowski always denied to be involved in such an agreement. But when Ehrman asked his question the press conference was almost over and Schabowski rejected the question of another journalist in favor of Ehrman.
Only three hours later and the same evening thousands of Berliners ran to the border crossing of the divided city. Because of the onsrush of the citizens of Berlin all border crossings of the divided city were open after six hours. At the end the Berliners danced on the wall in front of the Brandenburg Gate.
Günter Pötschke died on September 11, 2006. Riccardo Ehrman received the Federal Cross of Merit on October 29, 2008 for his participation in the reunification.
[1,S.7ff,140ff,148ff]
[1] Hans-Hermann Hertle - Chronik des Mauerfalls (Timeline of how the Wall fell) - ISBN 978-3-86153-541-6
[2] http://zzf-potsdam.de/site/390/default.aspx
[3] http://www.chronik-der-mauer.de/
[4] https://www.w3schools.com/HTML/html_lists.asp
The "Timeline of how the Wall fell" by Hans-Hermann Hertle describes how it came to the reunification and in great detail how it happened. The book first appeared in 1996 and is currently only available in German. Hertle was born on June 29, 1955 and since 1999 Hertle is a research assistant at the Center for Contemporary History in Potsdam. In cooperation with Hertle a digital archive has been created about the history of divided Germany and the fall of the Wall.
[2]
On the evening of November 9, 1989 Günter Schabowski appeared as de facto government spokesman before the press. He announced the "Temporary transitional arrangements for permanent departure".
The enclosed decision on temporary transitional arrangements for travel and permanent departure from the GDR is confirmed.
Proposal for a Decision
To change the situation of the permanent departure of GDR citizens to Germany via the CSSR is determined:
- The Ordinance of 30 November 1988 on Travel by Citizens of the GDR to Foreign Countries (Journal of Laws No. 25, p. 271) no longer applies until the new travel law comes into force.
- From now on the following temporary transitional arrangements for travel and permanent departures from the GDR to foreign countries come into force:
- Private trips to foreign countries can be applied for without conditions (travel and relatives). The permits will be issued shortly. Grounds of refusal are only used in exceptional circumstances.
- The competent departments of passports and reporting systems of the VPKÄ in the GDR are instructed to issue visas for permanent departure without the need to have valid conditions for a permanent departure. The application for permanent departure is, as before, also possible with the departments of Internal Affairs.
- Permanent departures can be made via all border crossing points of the GDR to the FRG or to Berlin (West).
- This eliminates the temporary granting of appropriate permits in diplomatic missions of the GDR or the permanent departure with the identity card of the GDR over third countries.
- For the temporary transitional arrangements, the attached press release is due to be published on 10 November 1989.
But at 18:53 the head correspondent of the Italian news agency ANSA Riccardo Ehrman asked for details about the travel law. Günter Schabowski reacted at least surprised. With his answer he solved the onslaught on the same evening brought the border to case.
Ehrman's question was no coincidence. As he himself revealed 20 years later and contrary to earlier statements Günter Pötschke instructed him to ask the question shortly before the press conference. The question was according to Pötschke very, very important. Pötschke was general director of the East German news agency ADN and a member of the central-committee.
Schabowski always denied to be involved in such an agreement. But when Ehrman asked his question the press conference was almost over and Schabowski rejected the question of another journalist in favor of Ehrman.
Only three hours later and the same evening thousands of Berliners ran to the border crossing of the divided city. Because of the onsrush of the citizens of Berlin all border crossings of the divided city were open after six hours. At the end the Berliners danced on the wall in front of the Brandenburg Gate.
Günter Pötschke died on September 11, 2006. Riccardo Ehrman received the Federal Cross of Merit on October 29, 2008 for his participation in the reunification.
[1,S.7ff,140ff,148ff]
[1] Hans-Hermann Hertle - Chronik des Mauerfalls (Timeline of how the Wall fell) - ISBN 978-3-86153-541-6
[2] http://zzf-potsdam.de/site/390/default.aspx
[3] http://www.chronik-der-mauer.de/
[4] https://www.w3schools.com/HTML/html_lists.asp
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