| 01.12.1989 |
DDR |
The Volkskammer deletes the right to a
leading role of the SED from the constitution with 5 abstentions, none
against. |
|
YU,
SLO |
70 Serbs gather in Ljubljana to protest,
despite the ban imposed on 29.11.1989. They are all arrested.
The Belgrade Chamber of Commerce reacts
to a call from the Serbian Social Alliance and orders 130 Serbian companies
to sever economic links with Slovenia. |
| 02.12.1989 |
DDR |
The DDR government issues an order to
destroy all papers from the time "of the too far-reaching security system".
Hundreds of thousands take to the streets to prevent the cover-up at the
last moment. |
|
YU |
The Yugoslav Collective Presidency rules
that Slovene and Serbian actions are "a violation of Yugoslavia's constitutional
order." |
| 03.12.1989 |
CS |
Vaclavík is replaced by Váèek as Czechoslovak
Minister of Defence. |
|
DDR |
Citizens of the DDR form a human chain
throughout the country to demonstrate their determination for democratic
renewal.
Krenz, the entire Politbüro and
Central Committee of the SED resign. A working group, headed by Gregor
Gysi, is formed to investigate abuses of power and corruption within the
party. Honecker, Stoph and Mielke are thrown out of the party.
Stasi Colonel Alexander Schalck-Golodkowski
(Secretary of State in the Ministry for Foreign Trade and Head of the Commercial
Coordination Branch) flees to the Federal Republic after his involvement
in secret arms exports and illegal financial activities is made public. |
|
YU,
SLO |
Slovenia seals off its frontier to Serbian
goods. |
| 04.12.1989 |
DDR |
Demonstration on Berlin's Alexanderplatz
organised by the theatre workers of Berlin, but infiltrated by MfS IM and
Stasi. The demonstration, unlike those in the south, call for reforms,
not the abolition of the DDR state, and democratic socialism. Critical
speakers are weeded out, those left include Markus Wold, ex-spy chief,
who was booed off the stage, and Gregor Gysi who congratulates people and
police for this demonstration arising from the people.
150 000 attend the Montagsdemonstration
in Leipzig. |
|
YU,
HR |
The Croatian Assembly votes to support
Slovenia's actions against Serbian trade. |
| 06.12.1989 |
DDR |
Egon Krenz hands in his resignation as
Chairman of the State Council and of the National Defence Council. Manfred
Gerlach, a Free Democrat, becomes acting head of state.
The Neues Forum Landessprecherrat calls
for civil control of the Staatssicherheit and demands the immediate and
complete dissolution of all domestic structures of the AfNS. |
| 07.12.1989 |
CS |
Prime minister Ladislav Adamec resigns,
unable to form a government acceptable to the opposition. His liberal deputy,
Marian Èalfa, succeeds him. |
|
DDR |
First meeting of the Round Table in the
DDR.
| Organisation |
Number of seats |
| SED |
3 |
| LDPD |
3 |
| NDPD |
3 |
| DBD |
3 |
| CDU |
3 |
VdgB (Vereinigung der
gegenseitigten Bauernhilfe) |
2 |
| FDBG (Freie Deutsche Gewerkschaftsbund) |
2 |
| Old parties and organisations: |
19 |
| Vereinigte Linke (United
Left) |
2 |
| SDP |
2 |
| Demokratie Jetzt (Democracy
Now movement) |
2 |
| Neues Forum (New Forum movement) |
3 |
| Green Party |
2 |
| Grüne Liga (Green League) |
2 |
Initiative Frieden und Menschenrechte
(Initiative for Peace and
Human Rights) |
2 |
| bäuerl. unabhäng. Frauenverband |
2 |
| Demokratischer Aufbruch
(movement) |
2 |
| New parties and organisations |
19 |
| Demokratischer Frauenbund
Deutschlands |
1 |
| Verband der Konsumgenossenschaften |
1 |
| Umweltschutzpartei |
1 |
| Sorbian minority representative |
1 |
| Other organisations sending observers |
4 |
Free elections are agreed for 06.05.1990. |
| 08.12.1989 |
DDR |
Extraordinary party congress of the SED
at East Berlin's Dynamo sport centre. Gregor Gysi proposes radical transformation
of the party. |
| 09.12.1989 |
CS |
Èalfa forms a "government of national
understanding" with a minority of Communists. |
|
DDR |
Gregor Gysi is elected as SED party chairman.
A telex from the Stasi regional administration
in Gera calls to all Stasi employees to paralyze opposition groups and
fight for the continued existence of the State Security Service. |
| 10.12.1989 |
CS |
Èalfa's non-communist cabinet is sworn
in in Czechoslovakia. Husák resigns after naming the new government. Václav
Havel is proposed as president. |
| 11.12.1989 |
AL |
35 looters die in Tirana after a
stormed shop is set ablaze. |
|
CS |
The Iron Curtain begins to be dismantled
in Czechoslovakia. |
|
DDR |
Representatives of the Four Powers in
Berlin meet to discuss its future. 150 000 protest in Leipzig. |
|
YU,
MN |
The Montenegrin League of Communists declare
their support for Serbia in the trade dispute with Slovenia. |
| 12.12.1989 |
AL |
20 000 demonstrate in Tirana for Alia's
resignation. |
|
CS |
At 1200 many people hoot their car horns.
(Jan Urban ?)
Minister of Defence Váèek is asked the
same question as his predecessor on 29.11 and replies "from the very inception
of the Czechoslovak Republic ... the ÈSLA has always been subordinated
in accordance with the consitution, above all, to the president of the
republic ... [who] has been the commander in chief. I assure you, esteemed
deputies, that the ÈSLA will not be misused against the process which is
taking place in our republic. |
|
DDR |
Honecker takes refuge in the Chilean embassy
in Moscow. He refuses to be extradited to the FRG, but Chile is currently
refusing him political asylum. Russia issues him a deadline of midnight
tomorrow to leave her territory. |
| 14.12.1989 |
BG |
Purge of the Bulgarian Politburo. Reformists
are replaced. |
|
DDR |
DDR government accedes to the demands
of the Round Table and decide the dissolution of the MfS/AfNS, to be monitored
by a control commission. |
| 15.12.1989 |
CS |
The new Communist Party leadership in
Czechoslovakia calls for the disbanding of all party organisations within
administration. |
|
RO |
Protest in Timosoara against the harassment
of Hungarian pastor Laszlo Tökes ignites demonstrations elswhere in the
country. |
| 16.12.1989 |
DDR |
Extraordinary party congress of the SED.
Krenz puts a vote of confidence in himself. SED renames itself SED-PDS
(Partei Demokratischer Sozialismus).
Demokratischer Aufbruch constitutes itself
as a political party. |
|
RO |
First protest demonstration in Timisoara.
State of emergency is declared. |
| 17.12.1989 |
PL |
Balcerowicz presents the Sejm with a balanced
budget and package of eleven laws on economic transformation. |
| 18.12.1989 |
DDR |
150 000 attend the Leipzig demonstration. |
| 19.12.1989 |
CS |
Major General Anton Slímak is appointed
new ÈSA (Czechoslovak Army) Chief of Staff. |
|
DDR |
Kohl in Dresden. He meets Modrow and they
decide to form a "Vertragsgemeinschaft". FRG citizens can visit the DDR
without visa or obligatory exchange as of 24th. |
|
YU |
The Yugoslav Federal Assembly empowers
the Federal Executive Council to "deal with rest" in the republics by means
of a constitutional amendment. The "Verbal Offences" law, making it a crime
to criticise Communist régime in Yugoslavia, is repealed. |
| 22.12.1989 |
DDR |
The Brandenburg Gate is reopened. Small
passages are torn through the Wall, to the left and right of the gate. |
|
RO |
Ceauºescu is ousted.
He flees after being stoned by crowds. |
| 23.12.1989 |
CS |
The dismantling of the Iron Curtain between
Czechoslovakia and FRG officially begins. |
| 24.12.1989 |
DDR |
FRG citizens can visit the DDR without
a passport, visa or obligation to exchange money. |
| 25.12.1989 |
RO |
The Ceauºescus are 'tried' by an ad-hoc
military court, found guilty and immediately executed by firing squad.
A loop of the video of Ceauºescu's bleeding head is played over and over
on national TV. |
| 26.12.1989 |
RO |
Ion Iliescu is declared president. |
| 28.12.1989 |
CS |
Dubèek is voted Speaker of Parliament. |
|
DDR |
Neues Forum announces its programme, defining
itself as "a political platform for all citizens who do not trust the existing
parties with the execution of a consequential and grass roots democratisation."
The programme includes calls for a mixed economy, new constitution and
separation of powers. The group is "open for people of every world view
and political line, excluding every type of inhuman, violent or neo-fascist
tendency." They state their belief in the special relationship between
the two German states, based on historical unity, which could reach from
a community by treaty to a confederation. The forum will participate in
local and Volkskammer elections. Some representatives of grass roots groupings
want to form a "Deutsche Forumpartei" on the 27.01.1990, calling the the
present party line "too greatly affirming socialism." |
| 29.12.1989 |
AL |
Albania says it is unaffected by
the "crisis in the socialist community." It was, rather, revisionism which
had collapsed, Communism having been abandoned in 1956 by Krushchev. |
|
CS |
Václav Havel is elected President of the
Czechoslovak Federation by the Federal Assembly, replacing Husák and also
taking over as commander in chief of the armed forces. |
|
HU |
Gyula Horn in Bucharest, says Hungary
is ready to place its relationship with Romania on a new basis." Humanitarian
aid continues to flow into Transylvania. Soviet commander in Hungary announces
troop withdrawals of 6 000 for 1990. Military airports near Budapest and
Debrecen will be shut due to the nusciance to inhabitants. |
| 30.12.1989 |
CS |
Czechoslovakia becomes the first reform
state with the police outside Communist control as the catholic Richard
Sacher is named minister of the interior. |
|
PL |
The promulgation of the 'Republic of Poland.' |
| 31.12.1989 |
DDR |
Kohl's New Year speech: "German unity
and European Unification must be sought after together. Germany is our
Vaterland, Europe our future."
A large TV monitor screen scaffolding
collapses near the Brandenburg Gate as youths climb up for a better view.
One dies on Unter den Linden. |
| end 12.1989 |
AL |
Demonstration in Shkoder: tens of thousands
march in silence through the city centre without formulating their goals
or demands. First of the so-called "silent Revolution." |