Political Developments

When Mikhail Gorbachev took over the reins of power in the Soviet Union in 1985, it gradually became evident that it was not just a change of generations, but also a change of direction, as exemplified by his use of the terms glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) to underline his priorities. Gorbachev also spoke of greater democracy, something that implied that the Soviet Union's allies would enjoy greater freedom and, specifically, that it would not intervene militarily if one of these countries deviated from the Soviet model. It was in keeping with this new spirit that in May 1989 Hungary began to dismantle its border fortifications with Austria and that a noncommunist government was installed in Poland shortly afterwards.

All this provided a catalyst for movement in the GDR, which, under the aging Honecker, had remained rigidly set against reform. The infamous wallpaper comment by the leading cultural functionary Kurt Hager summed up the attitudes in the GDR's highest echelons. In the light of this refusal to change, those totally disillusioned with the GDR began to make their way to Hungary and other neighboring countries in the hope of being able to cross to the West, while others at home began demonstrating on the streets and organizing for change — roughly simultaneous developments that were labeled “exit” and “voice.”