FROM
THE
COLLAPSE
OF
EAST
GERMANY
TO
GERMAN
UNIFICATION
In
May
1989,
Hungary
began
dismantling
its
border
fortifications
at
the
Austrian
frontier.
Thousands
of
East
Germans
took
the
opportunity
to
flee
to
the
West
through
this
hole
in
the
,Iron
Curtain“,
More
than
200,000
East
Germans
fled
their
country
either
across
this
border
or
through
West
German
embassies
in
Prague
and
Warsaw.
This
mass
exodus
coincided
with
increased
palitical
protests
at
home.
East
German
leaders
tried
to
respond
to
the
pesistent
demonstrations
of
the
civil
rights
movement
and
dissident
groaps
by
ousting
Erich
Honecker
in
mid-October.
However,
the
collagse
of
the
Communist
regime
was
unavoidable.
The
Wall
came
down
on
9
November
1989.
In
March
1990,
the
first
free
parliamentary
elec:,tions
were
held
in
East
Germany.
The
Christian
Democratic
Union
(CLU)
led
by
Lothar
de
i
-
Maiziere
won
the
most
seats.
Rainer
Eppelman
n
Lutheran
priest
and
former
“construction
soldier”
of
the
N
atior,al
People’s
Army,
became
minister
for
disarmament
and
defence.
His
goal
was
to
retain
two
armed
forces
in
one
country.
This
soon
pro*‘red
unrealistic.
The
new
East
German
government
supported
sulvift
accession,
as
did
most
East
Germans.
With
the
German
Unity
on
3
October
1990,
the
East
German
state
and
the
National
People’s
An:"xy
ceased
to
exist.