Letzter ARD-Brennpunkt vor dem Fall der Mauer 08.11.1989 mit Fritz Pleitgen

On November 8, 1989 – one day before the fall of the Berlin Wall – an extremely tense political situation prevailed in East Berlin and the GDR. The mass exodus of GDR citizens had dramatically escalated in the preceding weeks. Since the summer, many GDR citizens had been using a new escape route via Hungary, which had opened its border with Austria on September 10, 1989. Later, thousands of GDR citizens traveled to Czechoslovakia to reach the West from there. One of the most dramatic episodes of the mass exodus of GDR citizens took place in the German Embassy in Prague – later it became a symbol of the collapse of the SED regime: Thousands of GDR refugees sought refuge in the embassy garden in order to be able to travel to the West; the sanitary conditions were unimaginable. But on September 30, 1989, Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher was able to call out the words of relief to the waiting people: "We have come to you to inform you that today your departure... (has become possible.)" But due to the rapidly growing refugee flow, the GDR is increasingly short of workers: doctors and nurses, engineers and skilled workers in industry, teachers and scientists, many craftsmen, construction workers, and electricians – people are voting with their feet and fleeing the workers' and farmers' state in ever-increasing panic. It is clear: things cannot continue like this! This is important to understand in order to properly place the context of the last ARD Brennpunkt before the fall of the Wall. It airs immediately after the main Tagesschau broadcast at 8:15 p.m. – a highly editorial live broadcast by WDR with host Fritz Pleitgen, produced at the broadcasting center of Sender Freies Berlin on Masurenallee in West Berlin. First, Pleitgen switches to a GDR television studio in East Berlin, where he welcomes two high-profile interviewees: Bärbel Bohley, painter and representative of the civil rights movement "Neues Forum," and Prof. Manfred Gerlach, Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of the GDR and Deputy Chairman of the State Council. Gerlach regrets that the topic of "reunification" is once again on the agenda in the Bundestag in Bonn. Bohley also reiterates that the focus now is on changes in the GDR, and that it is "ridiculous" to even bring up reunification. Both German states have "enough problems" that must be solved first. Also shown are excerpts from Schabowski's press conference that day, a street survey with GDR citizens about the new SED hopeful Hans Modrow, portraits of various SED leaders, and assessments by West German politicians regarding the Federal Republic's capacity to absorb GDR refugees. In the SFB studio, Pleitgen welcomes Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher and, to assess the economic situation in the GDR, the then CEO of Thyssen AG, Dieter Spethmann. Spethmann calls for a rapid engagement of the West German economy in the GDR. The prerequisites for joint ventures, he says, are rapid reforms and a departure from the previous, rigid socialist planned economy. What else happens this Wednesday evening? The Central Committee of the SED (Socialist Unity Party) meets in East Berlin – and starts with a bang: The Politburo of the SED under Erich Honecker's successor, Egon Krenz, resigns en masse – a direct reaction to the extreme pressure from citizens who continue to take to the streets to demand reforms, free elections, and freedom of travel. The demonstrations and the escalating crisis force the SED leadership to adopt a new course. On the same day, the party therefore discussed a new travel regulation, the miscommunication of which led to the uncontrolled opening of the border a day later through the infamous press conference with Günter Schabowski. In summary, November 8, 1989, was a decisive day in a cascading political development that ultimately led to the opening of the Berlin Wall the following day. And now, enjoy this exciting piece of contemporary history...