«Ab sofort» – On 9 November 1989 the unexpected happened. After months of crisis, with tens of thousands of citizens fleeing the country through various means and routes, the government of the German Democratic Republic suddenly announced that it opened up the border crossings for travel to West Berlin forthwith.
Even diplomats, proficiently well-informed, had not seen this coming. Reactions by foreign envoys expressed concerns, warning of a ‘specter of German reunification’ that might upset the stability in Europe. Promoted by the West German government in Bonn, reunification became the keyword for all subsequent developments. Suddenly, agreements signed in 1945 took on a new immediacy.
Yet four decades after the end of the war, the right of the German people to self-determination was beyond dispute. The rapid pace of developments presented challenges to foreign and German diplomats alike. This volume collects perspectives on German developments from eleven countries.
Documents in Dodis
Open Access
This colume is available in the following formats
About the authors
Marc Dierikx *1957, Dr., historian, senior researcher at Huygens Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in Amsterdam.
Sacha Zala *1968, Prof. Dr., historian, director of the research center Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland (Dodis) and professor at the University of Bern.
Reviews and media
- Sabina Widmer, in: Traverse 1/2020, 201–204, PDF
- Swissinfo.ch, 12.11.2019: «Ein Staat von der Grösse Deutschlands kann nicht neutral sein»
- RSI, Telegiornale, 20:00, 09.11.2019: La caduta del Muro di Berlino
- SRF News, 09.11.2019: Wie die Schweiz den Mauerfall verschlief
- RSI Rete Uno, Attualità culturale, 16:00, 09.11.2019: Muro e diplomazia
- RSI Rete Uno, Telegiornale, 18:30, 09.11.2019: La caduta del Muro di Berlino 30 anni fa
- RTS 1, L’invité de La Matinale, 07:30, 08.11.2019: La chute du mur 1989
- Blick, 07.11.2019: «Ab jetzt werden die DDR-Leute verdrängt»
- SAGW Bulletin 3/19, 01.10.2019, S. 63: À la chute du mur: Publication dans la collection Quaderni di Dodis
