http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Feed/recentlyAdded Thu, 27 Aug 2026 09:41:43 +0200 Zend_Feed http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8077 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8077 “Introduction to the report on the events of the storming of the former Amt für Nationale Sicherheit (AFNS; Office for National Security), formerly Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS or Stasi; Ministry for State Security), on January 15, 1990. The Neues Forum had called for confronting the Stasi with imagination. It urged that the security partnership between parties, organization and the People’s Party be improved. / A crowd of people stormed the building complex. Several participants caused destruction in the rooms and stairwells; others called for level-headedness. Members of the Neues Forum organized a group to maintain order. The MfS was no longer active; its employees had been disarmed. At a rally in front of the entrance to the MfS, Hans Modrow (chairman of the Ministerrat, GDR) tried to call the people. / Addendum: In the meanwhile, the building on Normannenstraße was sealed off by the citizens’ committees, the military prosecutor, and the Volkspolizei (People’s Police) sealed the building by the falling day. The party called for the elimination by peaceful means of all the still existing departments Amt für Nationale Sicherheit.” (Source: DRA)]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:49:44 +0200 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8076 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8076 “Commentary by Bernd Niestroj on the demonstration for human rights and freedom of assembly on Alexanderplatz in Berlin. Niestroj depicted the demonstrators as a group of people supporting a new socialism in the spirit of Egon Krenz (general secretary of the central committee of the SED and chairman of the Staatsrat [State Council] of the DDR) einsetzen.” (Source: DRA)]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:47:32 +0200 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8075 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8075 “Excerpt from a speech by Rita Süssmuth (president of the Bundestag) at the first all-German meeting of the German Bundestag in the Reichstag in Berlin.” (Source: DRA)]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:43:18 +0200 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8074 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8074 “Press conference in Berlin with Angela Merkel (deputy spokesperson of the government) on the possible final negotiation of the Unification Treaty (2nd State Treaty) between the FRG and the GDR in the Bundestag on September 14, 1990. By that time, it would have to be clarified what laws would still be passed in the GDR. By agreement with the government of the FRG, regulations could still be passed in the GDR until October 2, 1990. Angela Merkel provided information on the themes of the cabinet meeting on education policy, questions of providing companies with fuel, and the occupation of the building of the Amt für Nationale Sicherheit (AFNS; Office for National Security) on Normannenstraße in Berlin by civil rights advocates.” (Source: DRA)]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:42:11 +0200 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8073 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8073 “On Normannenstraße in Berlin, civil rights advocates occupied the headquarters of the Amt für Nationale Sicherheit (AfNS) to protect its files from actions by the federal authorities of the FRG.” (Source: DRA)]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:40:01 +0200 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8072 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8072 “Live broadcast of the signing of the Unification Treaty between the GDR and the FRG from the Palais Unter den Linden. / Prime Minister Lothar de Maizière assessed the treaty in the context of German postwar history and underscored the treaty’s content, including questions of ownership, requirements for investing in the GDR and jobs, the social security system, budgets for the states and communities, protecting the natural bases for human life, improving the environment, the founding of five new federal states, the continuation and preservation of culture, the continued validity of educational degrees of GDR citizens, advancing science and research. The Minister of the Interior of the FRG, Wolfgang Schäuble, proclaims optimism about the economic upturn.” (Source: DRA)]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:37:38 +0200 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8071 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8071 “Detlev Rohwedder, President of the Treuhandanstalt of the GDR, on its influence on future economic development in the GDR.” (Source: DRA)]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:50:36 +0200 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8070 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8070 “The electoral alliance Allianz für Deutschland published a call for elections and immediate program after consulting with Helmut Kohl (Federal Chancellor, FRG).” (Source: DRA)]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:50:20 +0200 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8068 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8068 “Report on the press conference of the Ministerrat (Council of Ministers) concerning the resolutions on holding Volkseigene Betriebe (VEB; Publicly Owned Operations) and other public property in trust. The plan was to found the Anstalt zur treuhänderischen Verwaltung des Volkseigentums (Agency for the Management of Public Property in Trust), or Treuhandanstalt for short. Dubious reporting in the West German press about an eminent currency union was severely criticized by Wolfgang Ullmann (minister without portfolio). / Wolfgang Ullmann (minister without portfolio): He stated that news had come to him from a reliable source that important capital investors for the GDR had withdrawn from negotiations because of false press information in the FRG about a supposedly imminent currency union. The press reports had been published without the knowledge of the GDR government and over the heads of GDR citizens.” (Source: DRA)]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:50:06 +0200 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8067 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8067 “Theodor ‘Theo’ Waigel (Federal Minister of Finance, FRG): Excerpt from a speech on the offer to the GDR to form a currency union with the FRG in view of the intensifying crisis and in view of the face that the deutschmark (DM) had already become the method of payment preferred by citizens of the GDR.” (Source: DRA)]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:19:51 +0200 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8066 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8066 “With Bernhard Büchel chairing the discussion, representatives of new political groups in the GDR respond to questions from viewers. / The subjects include the programs of the newly founded parties and of the citizens’ movements, the relations of the groups to one another, and the alliance against the SED-PDS, manifestations of right-wing extremism in the GDR, the coming together of the two German states and of Europe as a whole, and the economic reform (the compatibility of the efficiency of market economies and social and ecological goals). / Marianne Dörfler (spokeswoman of the Grüne Partei [Green Party]) discusses the Green Party’s program in the GDR, the economic reform, dissociation from Western consumer society, the redefinition of socialism, the call for a social order based on grassroots democracy and ecology, the rejection of reunification. / Steffen Reiche (spokesman of the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands [SDP; Social Democratic Party of Germany]) speaks of the SPD’s political program in the GDR, the call for a rapid process of reunification in Germany, ecological and social reform of the economy, the separation of state and society, coming to terms with the past as a basis for eliminating neo-fascism in the GDR, the electoral alliance of SED/PDS. / Konrad Weiß (representation of the organization Demokratie jetzt [Democracy Now]) discusses the political program of the organization Demokratie jetzt, the founding of the organization, the advantages of the organization over a party, the development of models of grassroots democracy, the economic and ecological program, the measures of the parties and organizations to counter the rising neo-fascist violence in the GDR, a reform alliance with Eastern European states, and a demilitarized, united Germany with regard to the question of reunification. / Erhart Neubert (representative of the party Demokratischer Aufbruch [Democratic Awakening]) speaks about the political program of the party Demokratischer Aufbruch, the social and ecological crisis in the GDR, the task of democratization, the elimination of neo-fascism through educating the society and the security aspect, on the electoral alliance of SED/PDS, the endorsement of state unity, and the recognition of the existing Oder-Neisse border. / Joachim Gauck (minister, spokesman of the citizens’ movement Neues Forum [New Forum] ) discusses the political program of the citizens’ movement Neues Forum, the definition of democratic socialism, the critique of rising neo-fascism in the GDR, the endorsement of Germany’s reunification.” (Source: DRA)]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:49:31 +0200 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8065 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8065 Speech by Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl: Thanks to the citizens of Dresden for the warm reception. Recognition of and admiration for the peaceful revolution in the GDR. On the significance of the rally. On the right to self-determination of the German people and of the citizens of the GDR. On the goals and results of his meeting with Hans Modrow in Dresden. On the planned signing of a treaty community in the spring of 1990 with a focus on the economy, transportation, the environment, social policy, and culture. On the formation of a confederate structure in the form of joint governmental and parliamentarian committees. Kohl’s goal is ‘The unity of our nation.’ On the fears of citizens, which have to be taken seriously. Recalls Germany’s role in the history of the twentieth century—in the future, peace must always radiate from German soil. Freedom is necessary for that. Thanks the perestroika of Mikhail Gorbachev, the Solidarity movement in Poland, and the Hungarian freedom movement for creating the conditions necessary for the development in Germany. Greets all compatriots in the GDR and the FRG and wishes them a merry Christmas and a happy new year in 1990—‘God bless our German fatherland!’” (Source: DRA) ]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:49:17 +0200 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8064 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8064 “Newscast on the makeup of the commission on the constitution; on the publication of a discussion standpoint of the SED under the motto “For an alternative democratic socialism” in preparation for the special party conference; on the call from the CDU/FRG and the CUD to speed up the efforts to simplify of travel to the GDR for West German citizens and West Berliners; on the international press conference of the Sozialdemokratischen Partei (SDP) with the major themes of the current situation in the GDR, the German question, and the call for the resignation of Egon Krenz (chairman of the Staatsrat [State Council] and of the Nationaler Verteidigungsrat [National Defense Council] of the GDR) so that the free elections can be seen as truly free.” (Source: DRA)]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:49:00 +0200 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8063 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8063 “In the GDR, hundreds of thousands of citizens form a human chain through the republic from noon to 12:15.” (Source: DRA)]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:48:48 +0200 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8062 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8062 “Elf 99 presents a report from the government housing development Wandlitz. Registered journalists are allowed on a prepared tour of this housing development in the forest. On the tour, they happen to meet Mr. and Mrs. Hager. The reporter Jan Carpentier asks Kurt Hager awkward questions.” (Source: DRA)]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:48:34 +0200 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8061 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8061 “Live broadcast from the eleventh conference of the Volkskammer (People’s Chamber) with the announcement by Hans Jendretzky of the resignations of the Volkskammer President Horst Sindermann, Vice President Gerald Götting, and all board members of the Volkskammer. / Live broadcast from the eleventh conference of the Volkskammer with the first round of voting for the new president of the Volkskammer of the GDR. / Live broadcast from the eleventh conference of the Volkskammer runoff vote between Manfred Gerlach (Liberal-Demokratische Partei Deutschlands [LDPD; Liberal-Democratic Party of Germany) and Günther Maleuda (Demokratische Bauernpartei Deutschlands [DBD; Democratic Farmers’ Party of Germany) for the presidency of the Volkskammer. Günther Maleuda is elected its new president. / Live broadcast from the eleventh conference of the Volkskammer with the election of the vice president and the members of the board of the Volkskammer of the GDR. Werner Jarowinsky is elected the new vice president of the Volkskammer. / Live broadcast from the eleventh conference of the Volkskammer with statement on the political situation in the GDR. The ministers and members of the Ministerrat (Council of Ministers) Willi Stoph, Ernst Höfner, Gerhard Schürer, and Erich Mielke respond to questions from members of the chamber and try to justify themselves. Quotations from Erich Mielke: ‘Please, that is not just a formal question.’ ‘But I do love everyone …’ Günther Maleuda reads a letter from the members of the Ministerrat with an announcement of the resignation of all members. Hans Modrow is elected the new chairman of the Ministerrat of the GDR.” (Source: DRA)]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:48:22 +0200 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8060 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8060 Excerpt from the press conference at which Günter Schabowski announced the new travel rules: “Live broadcast of the press conference with Günter Schabowski (member of the Politburo of the central committee of the SED) on the developments at the tenth conference of the central committee of the SED with, among other things, a statement of the opening of the borders, from the premises of the Internationales Pressezentrum of the GDR on Mohrenstraße.” (Source: DRA)]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:48:03 +0200 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8059 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8059 “In Berlin there was a mass demonstration, whose climax was a demonstration on Alexanderplatz. The participants were demonstrating in support of achieving freedom of opinion, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly in the GDR, as embodied in Articles 27 and 28 of the constitution of the GDR.” (Source: DRA)]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:47:48 +0200 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8057 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8057 “Ulrich Mühe (actor): Statement on the success and positive progress of the demonstration.” (Source: DRA)]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:47:17 +0200 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8056 http://wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Index/object_id/8056 “News headlines and newscast on a demonstration on Alexanderplatz in Berlin in support of the freedoms of opinion and of assembly in accordance with Articles 27 and 28 of the constitution of the GDR.” (Source: DRA)]]> Thu, 15 Sep 2016 11:46:57 +0200