German Words of the Day — Montagsdemonstrationen & Mauerfall
Montagsdemonstration, die. Noun, femininum, plural: Montagsdemonstrationen. Pronunciation: [ˈmoːntaːksdemɔnstratsi̯oːn]. Composition of the two nouns Montag, monday, and Demonstration, demonstration (as in: mass gathering/marching to protest against something) > Montagsdemonstrationen literally: 'mondaysdemonstrations'.
Mauerfall, der. Noun, maskulinum, no plural. Pronunciation: [ˈmaʊ̯ɐfal]. Composition of the two nouns Mauer, wall, and Fall, fall (as in: downfall, destruction) > Mauerfall literally: 'wallfall'.
Most of you have probably never heard of the city I live in - Leipzig in Saxony, one hour south of Berlin - but there's something very special about it: It's right here where only 30 years ago, during my lifetime already, the so called Friedliche Revolution, the 'peaceful revolution', started, that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and in its aftermath took the whole Sovietunion with it. What happened here in 1989, in the streets that I walk every day, is truly an inspiring story about the power of the people and of peaceful resistance against a government that has turnt against its own people:
First, to get a "feeling" for what this is about, watch this short video. Ignore the German voice talking from the off, but just absorb the pictures. I'll tell you what exactly is happening there in a moment...
https://youtu.be/zLaGHQ26dy0
What you see here is Leipzig on October 9th 1989, one of the most important days in modern German history, because it was this day when the "critical mass" was reached and the revolution couldn't be stopped anymore. From right here and right this day it spread over the whole country and only four weeks later, the Wall was history. What the people are screaming there in the very beginning of the video is the most famous historic "protest battle cry" in Germany, everybody knows it and where it comes from, and what it achieved eventually: Wir sind das Volk! We are the people! In a democracy all sovereignty, all power, lies with the people and "the people" reminded the government of this fact by screaming it out with literally thousands of voices.
Okay, now how did it come to this and why was it happening?
It was also here, in Leipzig, where the whole movement started in the first place... with the Montagsdemonstrationen, the monday demonstrations. It was a church in the centre of Leipzig where the community one day decided to march through the city in order to protest against the government - with lit candles in their hands as a symbol for hope, and for peace, to show everybody that this is a peaceful gathering with no intention to start any riots or cause violence. It became a thing, and they repeated this march every Monday, with more and more people participating each week, until on Oct 9th a third of the adult population was out in the streets, which is, if you consider too old and too sick people and mothers/fathers who have to keep their kids safe at home, almost everyone.
To understand and appreciate how brave these people were, you need to know how life was in the DDR: The government was so hostile towards their own people, that they arrested, locked up or killed everybody who wanted to leave the country or spoke up against the system. The Wall was partially equipped with mines and spring guns, and literally everywhere guarded by soldiers who had order to shoot at everyone who comes too close, the Mauerschützen, wallsnipers. The government had built a massive inland intelligence apparatus, the Stasi (Staatssicherheit, national security agency), incl thousands of civil agents (some voluntary, many forced into collaboration) who spied on their own families and friends. You couldn't even speak your mind in your own living room, and everyone who showed any sign of disloyalty to the system got punished. That could mean in the worst case to end up in prison for years, or to have your children taken away from you (very common practice, as punishment and as a threat to force people to cooperate), or in the "best" case that you lose your job or are forbidden to attend university, or anything else, the Stasi basically had total control over everybody's life. With a "law enforcement" like this around, to demonstrate against the government was an incredibly brave thing to do.
But they did it anyway, and only four weeks after Oct 9th in Leipzig, this happened in Berlin...
https://youtu.be/00SvMXdrssg
The Mauerfall happened, the fall of the Berlin Wall.
[Keep yourselves and each other safe. Not all forms of protest work equally well at all times, in all places, under all circumstances, but there's more than just one way to raise your voice. The simple point here is, "the people" are not powerless! And the people, that's us.]
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