Popular Protest in the East German Revolution is an incisive new study of dissent and protest in the German Democratic Republic, focusing on the upheaval of 1989-1990.

Among the surprising events in Eastern Europe in 1989, none astonished the world more than the nonviolent overthrow of the East German Communist regime. This book examines the collapse of East Germany as it unfolded in one city, Leipzig. Analyzing the leading role of the GDR's second largest city, Bartee combines chronological and descriptive narration of events with an in-depth critique of leading actors and groups. Prominent among these are the Protestant churches and the array of opposition groups concerned for peace, freedom, human rights, justice, and the environment. Bartee focuses in particular on the famous peace prayer services in St. Nicholas Church and the protest activities of the groups as they expanded into the mass demonstrations of late 1989. Using surveys and interviews with participants, as well as Leipzig archives, this study examines the motivations and methods of the demonstrators. Bartee concludes that, while the prayer services provided hope, inspiration, and information, the strong desire for a free, open society served as the group's chief motivation.

"Popular Protest in East Germany, 1945-1989 is a history of public protest in East Germany from the end of World War Two until the demise of the GDR in 1990. This narrative history will be of particular interest to students of German Politics/History, European Politics and International Studies."--BOOK JACKET.

Winner of the Social Science History Association President’s Book Award East Germany was the first domino to fall when the Soviet bloc began to collapse in 1989. Its topple was so swift and unusual that it caught many area specialists and social scientists off guard; they failed to recognize the instability of the Communist regime, much less its fatal vulnerability to popular revolt. In this volume, Steven Pfaff identifies the central mechanisms that propelled the extraordinary and surprisingly bloodless revolution within the German Democratic Republic (GDR). By developing a theory of how exit-voice dynamics affect collective action, Pfaff illuminates the processes that spurred mass demonstrations in the GDR, led to a peaceful surrender of power by the hard-line Leninist elite, and hastened German reunification. While most social scientific explanations of collective action posit that the option for citizens to emigrate—or exit—suppresses the organized voice of collective public protest by providing a lower-cost alternative to resistance, Pfaff argues that a different dynamic unfolded in East Germany. The mass exit of many citizens provided a focal point for protesters, igniting the insurgent voice of the revolution. Pfaff mines state and party records, police reports, samizdat, Church documents, and dissident manifestoes for his in-depth analysis not only of the genesis of local protest but also of the broader patterns of exit and voice across the entire GDR. Throughout his inquiry, Pfaff compares the East German rebellion with events occurring during the same period in other communist states, particularly Czechoslovakia, China, Poland, and Hungary. He suggests that a trigger from outside the political system—such as exit—is necessary to initiate popular mobilization against regimes with tightly centralized power and coercive surveillance.

An incisive new study of dissent and protest in the German Democratic Republic, focusing on the upheaval of 1989-1990. The author, an active participant both in the 'Citizens' Movement' and in the street protests of that year, draws upon a vast array of sources including interviews, documents from the archives of the old regime and the Citizens' Movement and his own diary entries, to explore the causes and processes of the East German revolution. The book is at once a lucid and vibrant narrative history and a pioneering contribution to research in this field.

Seminar paper from the year 2020 in the subject History of Germany - Postwar Period, Cold War, grade: 1,0, University of Ghent, language: English, abstract: This paper discusses the classic understanding of the Revolution in East Germany in 1989. The excluding criteria of violence will be challenged upon the revolutionary process. Furthermore, the reasons for the non-violent participation in the protest will be analysed upon a structural-behavioural approach within the Ration Action Theory. This paper examines the term 'Peaceful Revolution' and its outstanding characteristic of peaceful. First, the definition and framework of the Revolution will be discussed. The paper concentrates on the non-violent aspect through a behavioural-rational approach which will be also introduced to the reader. In the second part, the paper will discuss if the process in East-Germany fulfils the conditions of a Revolution. Furthermore, the reasons why people participated in demonstrations in the autumn of 1989, especially why the people choose a non-violent way, will be viewed. The paper follows the research question: Why did the protest in Autumn 1989 in East Germany remain peaceful? How does the Peaceful Revolution challenge the classic definition of Revolution? 1989 became a historically important year for Germany and the whole of Europe: The fall of the Wall on November 9th became a symbol for the self-liberation of East Germans. It marked the end of an authoritarian soviet Era and the reunification of one of the economically strongest nations in Europe. Today 30 years later the Peaceful Revolution is celebrated as a unique spontaneous and non-violent revolution in Germany. The GDR (German Democratic Republic) citizens reached for freedom during the Monday demonstrations in the main cities of Leipzig, Dresden, and East-Berlin after they were oppressed for 40 years by a socialist totalitarian regime. Elementary human rights such as freedom of travel, speech, and information were taken away from them. During one month, October 1989, East Germans started writing history: the dictatorship was peacefully challenged with demonstrations and rallies and then completely swept away. Divided Germany and Europe were gone. October 9th is seen as a milestone in Germany's road to freedom and finally resulted in the Fall of the Wall on November 9th.

In keeping with the tenets of socialist internationalism, the political culture of the German Democratic Republic strongly emphasized solidarity with the non-white world: children sent telegrams to Angela Davis in prison, workers made contributions from their wages to relief efforts in Vietnam and Angola, and the deaths of Patrice Lumumba, Ho Chi Minh, and Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired public memorials. Despite their prominence, however, scholars have rarely examined such displays in detail. Through a series of illuminating historical investigations, this volume deploys archival research, ethnography, and a variety of other interdisciplinary tools to explore the rhetoric and reality of East German internationalism.