1989: Escaping the GDR via Prague | History Stories

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In the late-summer of 1989, the West German embassy in Prague became a place of refuge for thousands of GDR citizens willing to leave the country. By the end of September more than 4,000 people lived on the premises of the completely overcrowded embassy under catastrophic conditions.
With a humanitarian catastrophy looming, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, then Germany's foreign minister, tried to find a diplomatic solution with the GDR and the Soviet Union. On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York he negotiated a quick compromise and surprisingly, the leadership in East Berlin agreed to let the people leave.
On the evening of September 30 1989, Genscher himself delivered the news from the embassy balcony. His words "We have come to you to inform you that your departure..." was drowned out by the cheers of thousands of GDR refugees and made headlines around the world. On this episode of History stories, we look at Genscher's successful negotiation which led to a major milestone on the way to the Fall of the Berlin Wall.
Report by Antje Binder
©Thumbnail: Picture-Alliance/FrankLionhardt
#dwhistoryandculture #history #coldwar #germany
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Опубликовано:

28 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 44

@jacquelinevanbierk Год назад

I was there. Still get's me emotional when I see and hear Genscher talk, telling us we are FREE.

@jundonjose 8 месяцев назад

So happy for you and your countrymen after all these years!

@margritpiepes8242 6 месяцев назад

Ja und ich war nicht in Berlin aber hab mich doch gefreut für meine Cousinen und Oma

@bebesin162 6 месяцев назад

I may not be from Europe but just seeing the video and all those people going to freedom from the ddr is incredible, thank you for sharing this part of history!

@wensdyy6466 Год назад

As a czech person I have never heard of this, never learn about it at school (but that will be only because we ended our history lessons with the end of WW2 because of the lack of time and by the industrial revolution in high school). This was really interesting video.

@DWHistoryandCulture Год назад

Oh, this is great to hear that we could spread this, thanks for watching and letting us know! All the best from Berlin

@RudolfKlusal 3 месяца назад

Yea, exactly, in Czech schools they tend to learn a lot about a French revolution NOBODY CARES about in that age. So of course there's no time for any recent history 😞And yea, a French revolution is not the only stupid thing about history-learning in CZE.

@iamarizonaball2642 2 месяца назад

@@DWHistoryandCulture american here from arizona. being a progressive, all i can imagine is if trump wins, there might be a "great american exodus" where similar to in eastern europe in 1989 or during the "brain drain" period, hundreds of thousands or millions, of skilled, young, educated americans, may flee the country possibly to the EU causing a migrant crisis. this could cause eventually after pressure from the UN, a similar declaration by the european parliament about "the opening of EU borders to american immigrants fleeing from a rapidly distressing situation across the atlantic" thus causing tons of them to have a similar experience to those 30+ years earlier.

@Synapse_a 2 месяца назад

Toll es wieder einmal zu sehen. Die Reportage spiegelt wieder, wie es in der Prager Botschaft war. Ich bin 1989 in der Botschaft gewesen und durfte nach Genscher's Verkündung Stunden später mit dem 2ten Zug aus Prag über DDR Gebiet nach Hof/ BRD ausreisen.

@rogerbixley6911 4 месяца назад

I remember I was working late shift in a big factory when this news came through on the radio...working on the same shift were a couple of ex east german lads...all of a sudden they were dancing on tables realy enjoying themselves...I´m sure that evening a few bottles of vodka were made empty.

@runnerawe 2 года назад

moving

@benyomovod6904 5 месяцев назад

The worst error in German history since 1946. Germany was a powerhose, before we got 11 Million brothers and sister that ask for cash and proclaim that the GDR was SOOOOO nice

@henryseidel5469 2 месяца назад

What do you think was the reason for this illusion ? Those brothers and sisters had to repay the costs for the war to the Soviet Union. I wonder what those illusionized people would say if the were asked today !

@SiVlog1989 Год назад

It's a pity that where I come from (the UK), this momentous event gets overshadowed in history lessons by the fall of the Berlin Wall. The magnitude of the cheer that greeted Genscher announcing that Bonn agreed to take them in is heart rending. It brings tears to my eyes, thinking how much it meant to those refugees from the GDR to hear those words

@DTD110865 9 месяцев назад

All these events lead up to the Fall of the Berlin Wall. Furthermore, Erich Honacher threatened a repeat of the Tiananmen Square massacre against any anti-communists in East Germany. Luckily, he never got the chance to do this. The people of Romania, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Libya, and Syria weren't that lucky.

@SiVlog1989 9 месяцев назад

@DTD110865 I guess, but that takes into account the announcement by Gunther Schabowski as expected. As we know, the truth is that it definitely wasn't expected, in fact, it was a mistake by Schabowski as he didn't have time to read all his notes about the easing of travel restrictions before speaking to the Press

@andreaschmickler3729 Месяц назад

Im from Germany, Former Westgermany. It was never the question If Bonn would Take the Refugees, IT was Always the question If the gdr would allow Them to go

@fatcontrollerproductions9910 7 дней назад

@@DTD110865 Dont include Yugoslavia with the other Socialist courntries as we had freedom of travel and some free market. We were also a prsoperous nation until Croation Facists and Nationlists tore us apart.

@DTD110865 7 дней назад

@@fatcontrollerproductions9910 Yugoslavia was a Soviet puppet until 1948, and Croatia wasn't your problem. Your attempts to turn your country into a Greater Serbia was. Also, seeking their own nation away from your genocidal regime doesn't make them fascists.

@garycooper9207 7 месяцев назад

I cried when I was a child seeing this in tv. I was so happy for them❤

@dsm2240 8 месяцев назад

I remember these events. Yet the news on November 9 was a (positive) total shock for me.

@GeDiceMan 5 месяцев назад

It started with a picnic between Austria and Hungary...

@Alex-se4tk 4 месяца назад

Never heard about this event before

8 дней назад

Free at last! They were free at last!

@mistysouders7823 6 месяцев назад

I knew about this. My grandparents along with myself was watched it all down. THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS ran for the borders. 😢😮

@abigailweir7287 Год назад

3,500 out of 16.5 million. The majority therefore wanted to stay in the DDR.

@wensdyy6466 Год назад

or they did not have the means to leave, they were scared(I would say that was the majority of people), they wanted to wait a bit to see if these people trying to leave would be sucesfull...

@saba6502 Год назад

Here we're talking about 3.500 refugees - or rather 12.000 people in total fleeing from the West German Embassy in Prague to West Germany. Many more people fled the GDR via Hungary or Warsaw or, sometimes, Bulgaria. Obviously the majority of the people of the former GDR wanted to leave this state. The many mass demonstrations in this state back then also spoke volumes.

@SiVlog1989 Год назад

It's a bit simplistic to think that way. Through the history of East Germany, there had long been hostility in the East towards the occupying Soviet troops and the dictatorship of the SED imposed on them by the Soviets.

@jacquelinevanbierk Год назад

Some did yes, especially the older generation. They were so brainwashed and way too scared to even try. It wasn't easy to leave or try to escape. People that tried to leave by applying lost everything the minute they did , their job, most of their friends bc you were considered a betrayer of your country. They also had to show up for weekly interviews were they got interrogated and verbally abused, and at some point they"ll get a 24 hour notice to leave. Many people who tried to escape got shot. Remember we got spied on, the Stasie knew everything about everybody and many worked for the Stasi undercover. All the politicians had many privileges we didn't have, like the freedom to travel.

@jacquelinevanbierk Год назад

@@wensdyy6466 exactly. When I went to Prague (I was actually there) I didn't know if I ever see my parents again or even get shot. It was pretty scary but worth every minute,