000 01489cam a2200217 4500500
005 20250121145844.0
041 _afre
042 _adc
100 1 0 _aDroit, Emmanuel
_eauthor
245 0 0 _aThe Stasi and the Peaceful Revolution of the German Democratic Republic in 1989
260 _c2015.
500 _a99
520 _aThe goal of this article is to analyse East Germany’s 1989 ‘Peaceful Revolution’ by emphasising this movement’s open and uncertain character. Using the archives of the East German political police, this article argues that the abrupt collapse of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the Communist regime was caused less by the actions of a powerful opposition movement, than by the political regime’s (in)ability to react. Violence appeared to be a serious option until the fall of 1989 ; by the time they had to act, however, the members of the Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (SED - Socialist Unity Party) politburo no longer considered violence a legitimate means. As a consequence, the Stasi was rendered powerless and made the peaceful revolution possible.
690 _aCommunism
690 _a1989
690 _aRevolution
690 _aGerman Democratic Republic (GDR)
690 _apolice
786 0 _nVingtième Siècle. Revue d’histoire | o 128 | 4 | 2015-10-01 | p. 63-76 | 0294-1759
856 4 1 _uhttps://shs.cairn.info/journal-vingtieme-siecle-revue-d-histoire-2015-4-page-63?lang=en&redirect-ssocas=7080
999 _c592547
_d592547