Opposition and 'Wende' German Democratic Republic Collection

Period (1981-)1989-1990 (-1993)
Total size   2.22 m.
Consultation Not restricted.

History

A growing opposition in the German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik, DDR) organized itself during the 1980s in informal ecology, peace and human rights groups; in the late summer of 1989, political organizations such as the Sozialdemokratische Partei der DDR (SDP), Neues Forum, Demokratie Jetzt and Demokratischer Aufbruch were formed; mass demonstrations, which started in October 1989, paralysed the government and ensued the overthrow of the communist regime, known as `Wende', in the same year; after the resignation of the government and the dissolution of the Politburo of the Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (SED) in November 1989, Round Tables on local and national level were formed as instruments of democratic control; in 1990 elections were held for the Volkskammer, the municipalities and, after the official entry of the DDR into the Federal Republic of Germany on 3 October 1990, for the German federal states and the Bundestag; the SED reorganized itself as Partei des demokratischen Sozialismus (PDS); the SDP was unified with the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD).

Content

Collection of documents relating to the `Wende'. Circular letters, correspondence, and other documents of ecology groups in Leipzig 1984-1989, Dresden 1987-1989 and Zwickau 1988-1989 and publications by Aktion Sühnezeichen 1987-1989 and the Friedensbibliothek Dresden 1988-1989; founding manifestos, conference papers and proceedings, circulars, programmes, rules, statements, press releases and publications by political organizations and civic movements, which came into being since September 1989, including Demokratie Jetzt 1989-1990, the Grüne Partei 1989-1990, the Leipzig branch of Grüne Liga called ÖKOLÖWE 1989-1992, the Initiative Frieden und Menschenrechte 1989-1990, Neues Forum 1989-1993, the SDP/SPD 1989-90 and the Kontaktbro der Bürgerinitiativen in Karl-Marx-Stadt/Chemnitz 1989-1990; documents relating to central, regional and local Round Tables in Berlin, Karl-Marx-Stadt/Chemnitz, Leipzig, Magdeburg and other places; electoral programmes, leaflets, posters and other election material of the political organizations already mentioned, of Bündnis `90 and other alliances, of the SED/PDS and of christian democratic and liberal parties.

Processing information

List (Verzeichnis) made by Götz Langkau in 2001