On 7 October 1989, ITN filmed events and ceremonies around East Berlin as the city marked the 40th anniversary of the German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik; DDR). As well as capturing East German leader Erich Honecker taking part in a commemorative event at the Friedrichsfelde Central Cemetery (Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde), cameras also ventured to Alexanderplatz, where they captured celebrations and, later on in the day, a clash between pro-democracy protesters and the East German police. The tensions visible in this footage would reach their peak just over a month later with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

#Berlin #EastGermany #EastBerlin #WestBerlin #DDR #GDR #SovietUnion #Soviet #SovietWave #ColdWar #Communism #Communist #BerlinWall #USSR

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47 Comments

  1. What are they first chanting? something raus. (something out) Can any German speakers translate? I know they're chanting "Gorby…Gorby…" but what are the other chants?

  2. Those old stately Volvos are great. Have you noticed that the government cars are all from the "decadent" west. hehehe But the people are to be content with Communist Party guidelines for transportation 😉

  3. Here we have the East Germans wanting the freedom that the western world have in abundance. The freedom of Speech, the freedom of a religion, freedom of association, the freedom from tyranny or harm, and the freedom from want.

    It is such a pity that certain pockets of the western world wants Marxism back.

    This leads me to tears for my children.

  4. Interesting, I don’t see trillions of people being executed by communists in the streets, breadlines, or poverty. I see a group of people living far better lives than they did before under a system that doesn’t exploit them of their labor

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