02/05 The iron curtain becomes porous
deutsch Ungarn baut den Grenzzaun zu Österreich ab (Quelle: Kronenzeitung/AP) Hungary opens its border to Austria The iron curtain ran the whole length of Europe north to south, separating the members of the Warszaw Pact from those of the NATO in the West. Beginning in March ’89, Hungary’s government hinted at the possibility they would…
26/04/89: Honecker about Hungary/über Ungarn
Text auf deutsch Honecker loosing his grip on reality Erich Honecker (Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-R0518-182 / CC-BY-SA) Just days before the border between Austria and Hungary is opened, Erich Honecker, chairman of the Zentralkomitee (Central Committee) of the Socialist Unity Party (SED) is worried about the situation with his neighbours. Using a language that’s equally stinted…
21/03/89 The soviet army shrinks/Truppenreduzierung der Sowjets
A step towards independence A key factor leading to the revolution in 1989 is Michail Gorbatschow’s doctrine, that the “brother states” of the Warzsaw Pact will be responsible for their own destiny. Mikhai Gorbachev (Yuryi Abramochkin,RIA Novosti archive, image #359290) This means that a) the Soviet Union won’t stand in the way of national reforms,…
19. August 1989 Paneuropäisches Picknick in Sopron
The Iron Curtain is becoming increasingly perforated Already on June 27, the two foreign ministers of Austria and Hungary symbolically cut through the border fence between their countries in a symbolic gesture. The next step in puncturing the Iron Curtain came on August 19, 1989. Initiated by the Paneuropean Union under the chairmanship of the…