Montagsdemonstrationen

The Monday demonstrations of the Peaceful Revolution of 1989/90 were a central step on the way to a united Germany. Like the other revolutions of the former Eastern Bloc, which were mostly non-violent, they are inseparable from the history of democracy in Europe. The Monday demonstrations became the model for further street protests, of which those in Leipzig were formative. While the participants were initially concerned with reforms, the demand for German unity later dominated. The first mass participation took place at the demonstration on 9 October 1989, in which more than 70,000 people took part and which contributed decisively to the turnaround, because the feared violent reaction failed to materialise.More than 30 years later, right-wing radicals, among others, are now trying to appropriate the legacy of the Monday demonstrations for themselves. By putting the historical slogan and the historical events in a correct light, the author, as someone who was personally involved, offers in a compact account a comprehensive insight into those events that deeply changed not only East Germany and still shape it today.