The Democratic Transition of Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic and their Successor States, with Particular Focus on the Geopolitical Framework after 1989

Abstract

(by Eric Holtschke) The end of the Cold War and thus the collapse of the Eastern Bloc was, in the words of Mary Farrell, "one of the late twentieth century's defining moments"1 : Communist rule in Central and Eastern Europe collapsed, opening up the road to democracy together with freedom of speech, freedom of thought and free elections, as well as free and independent movement of people. The end of the Cold War, which started as a direct result of the Second World War, came about by means of mass demonstrations, the first of which took place in Plauen (GDR) on 7 October 1989. Only a few months later, no-one could be sure how the world would develop. The so-called 'voice' was followed by 'exit' in the German Democratic Republic - and the Czechoslovakians were close to the events taking place in the embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Prague. The end of the autocratic system was followed by the process of democratisation, characterised by upheavals and the restructuring of political conditions. Free and independent elections marked the end of democratisation in both the German Democratic Republic and Czechoslovakia. The consolidation period was determined by the dissolution of both of the aforementioned countries, succeeded by 1) the absorption of the entirety of former East German...