What is Wende?
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1990-0922-002, Leipzig, Montagsdemonstration.jpg|thumb|Monday Demonstration in Leipzig on 16 October 1989]] [[File:West and East Germans at the Brandenburg Gate in 1989.jpg|thumb|People on the Berlin Wall at [[Brandenburg Gate]]]] '''''Wende''''' (English: '''The turn-around''') refers to a historical process in the [[German Democratic Republic]] (GDR) in the years 1989 and 1990, after the Soviet reforms of [[Mikhail Gorbachev]]. The [[communism|communist]] [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany]] (''Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands'', shortly ''SED'') lost their power and a [[democracy|democratic]] government was established. The [[policy]] of this new government lead finally to [[German reunification]] in October 1990. The ''Wende'' was known to be very peaceful. The people who were against the SED and communism did not want to use [[violence]], and so these events are also known as the '''Peaceful Revolution''' (in [[German language|German]]: ''Friedliche Revolution''). == Beginnings == The ''Wende'' events were part of the fall of Communism all over Eastern Europe, for example in [[Poland]], [[Hungary]] or [[Czechoslovakia]]. Soon there were reforms in that countries. In August 1989, Hungary opened its borders to [[Austria]], and many tourists from East Germany crossed the border and fled to Western countries. In September, East Germans were not allowed to go to Hungary any more. Soon, more and more East Germans went to the [[embassy|embassies]] of [[West Germany]] in [[Warsaw]] and especially in [[Prague]]. Soon there were more than 4,000 people in the Prague embassy. West Germany could reach that East Germany allowed its people to go. On 30 September 1989, the West German [[Foreign minister]], [[Hans-Dietrich Genscher]], came to Prague and told the East Germans in the embassy's garden that they could go. The traveled to west Germany by trains which went through the GDR. In the first days of October, even more East Germans went to West Germany from Prague. == Mon