Wende
1989-1990 process disestablishing the GDR / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wende ("the turn-around") refers to a historical process in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in the years 1989 and 1990, after the Soviet reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev. The communist Socialist Unity Party of Germany (Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, shortly SED) lost their power and a democratic government was established. The policy of this new government lead finally to German reunification in October 1990.
The Wende was known to be very peaceful. The people who were against the SED and communism did not want to use violence, and so these events are also known as the Peaceful Revolution (in German: Friedliche Revolution).