It is thanks to the civil rights movements that today we live in a country in which we enjoy liberty, the rule of law and democracy, she continued. ‘Dreams do not come true so often,’ the Chancellor said. This gives us grounds for self-confidence and optimism that we can master the current crisis facing us too.
Truth – the foundation on which democracy is built
History, has taught her three important lessons, said the Chancellor. The most important of these is that, ‘Truth is the foundation on which democracy is built.’ As she said, ‘We cannot and must not forget the injustice that has taken place.’ The GDR, she went on, was the ‘most tightly controlled system’ in the world. The consequences of living in permanent fear was living a lie. We must remember this, and prevent any false images of life in the GDR being propagated.
Her second lesson is that, ‘The belief in political omnipotence is a false belief.’ Politics alone cannot regulate everything for the people. Liberty means requiring people to lead a self-determined life and to accept responsibility for their actions. The GDR she said ‘failed because of the lack of freedom’.
Building substance
Thirdly, she continued, we must not live beyond our means. ‘We must build substance,’ demanded the Chancellor. The GDR is a perfect example of what happens when you try to live beyond your means on a permanent basis. Building substance means that, ‘We must focus on our education system and on innovations that will make our country strong.’
The Chancellor reminded her audience of the 8 May 1945, VE Day, the day on which Europe was liberated from the yoke of National Socialism. She reminded them that German unification was only possible, ‘because our neighbours trusted us’. She expressed her deep gratitude for this. It is, however, important to maintain and preserve the structures that guarantee liberty - not only inside our own country. The preservation of liberty, peace and human rights is not a national concern, she declared, but an indivisible global concern.
Twenty years ago – the eve of the peaceful revolution
The two days of celebrations in the former GDR Council of State building mark the peaceful revolution of 1989/90 and are part of the ‘Freedom and Unity’ celebrations with which the German government is commemorating the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany sixty years ago. The fall of the East German dictatorship and the process of German reunification twenty years ago are also being commemorated. The rigged local elections on 7 May 1989 triggered the wave of protests and attempts to leave the country in East Germany in 1989. The civil rights movement uncovered the fraud, which brought it massive support. When Hungary dismantled its border fortifications in May of the same year, it was at last ‘curtains’ for the Iron Curtain that had divided Germany and Europe for so long.
A corridor leading to cells in the former Stasi prison in Berlin-Hohenschönhausen
