East Germany

The GDRs government was ….

made up of communist hardliners & was considered the USSRs most loyal Satellite State

by 1989 East Germany seemed to be…

accepted as a state

what did Honecker do?

ignored calls for reform following perestroika & the dissent in East Germany/other Eastern European states - he was firmly loyal to the Communist party & determined to keep the GDR as a single party state

what happened 2 May 1989?

the Hungarian gov removed the fence on its border with the GDR allowing people to illegally travel between the two countries

when did the Hungarian gov removed the fence on its border with the GDR allowing people to illegally travel between the two countries?

2 May 1989

how many East Germans fled to Hungary in September 1989 to seek asylum in West German embassies?

60,000

what happened when Budapest became too overcrowded with East German refugees?

the Hungarian foreign minister announced that East Germans would not be stopped if they attempted to cross to Austria causing 20,000 East Germans to leave Hungary

Due to pressure the East German gov…

temporarily allowed East Germans to travel to the West but only if they promised to return

what happened in October 1989?

widespread opposition encouraged by Eastern European countries protested the ack of reforms & repression of the Honecker regime. Honecker was forced by the Politburo  to reign & was replaced as General Secretary of the Communist Party & Chairman of the Council of State by Egon Krenz

when did Honecker resign?

October 1989

who replaced Honeker?

Egon Krenz

why were their protests in October 1989?

encouraged by Eastern European countries & the lack of reforms & repression of the Honecker regime

what did Krenz do?

announced reforms & endorsed Gorbachev’s glasnost & perestroika

did the USSR get involved in East Germany

November 1989 Krenz visited Gorbachev - but the USSR refused to offer economic aid

what were the problems with the East German economy?

The GDR had experienced a collapse in the economy (by 1989 experienced a growth of 2.8% = the gov had little to offer its citizens)

what did the gov propose to do after the USSR refused to aid the GDR?

The gov proposed relaxing its travel laws which created criticism for being too limited & slow to implement change. The politburo resigned leaving Krenz to respond.

when was travel between East & West Germany announced?

9 Nov 1989

what happened 1 Dec 1989?

the gov changed the constitution after increased calls for reform which eliminated the clause that gave the Communist Party a dominant role in the gov - Krenz & the Central Committee resigned & a coalition gov was put in place as a provisional gov

when did East Germany fall?

3 October 1990 the German Democratic Republic was incorporated into the Federal Republic of Germany