FROM THE MID-1980S, Gorbachev's policies of Glasnost and Perestroika were a clear sign that the GDR was also ripe for a change. However, Erich Honecker, the first secretary of the GDR since 1971, refused to acknowledge the growing discontent of the East German population, and in fear of losing the hegemony of his party, adopted a tough line against all attempts at reform. On 2 May 1989, Hungary began to tear down the barbed-wire fence on its border with Austria, thus opening a loop-hole for thousands of East Germans to escape. Others took refuge in the West German embassies in Prague and Warsaw, and, after negotiations, were allowed to leave on 4 November 1989. By June, the trickle had become a mass exodus, especially after the brutal clampdown of China on the counter-revolutionary students in Tianenmen Square in Beijing. In July, Honecker stubbornly announced that the Wall would stand for another hundred years.

It is an irony of history that, from 6–8 October 1989, the GDR celebrated its fortieth anniversary with huge military parades and rallies. On the occasion of Gorbachev's visit, people demonstrated for reforms, calling “Gorbi, Gorbi” and were herded together, beaten and imprisoned. It was clear that Honecker chose to ignore Gorbachev's warning that “those who delay are punished by life itself.” Despite the disapproval of the leader of the Soviet Union, Honecker clung to his policy of self-congratulation. After the official celebrations were over, demonstrations erupted in several cities, but were brutally suppressed by the police.