Evolutionary Journey of the Nonviolent Uprising
In the autumn of 1989, a powerful slogan emerged in East Germany that would come to symbolise the struggle for unity and freedom. The phrase, "Wir sind das Volk!" (We are the people!), was first heard during the peaceful demonstrations in Leipzig, particularly on October 2nd.
The slogan was not an original creation of the GDR population but was spontaneously coined and spread among the masses. It was not initially published or propagated by an official source but emerged organically during the protests following the church peace prayers. The slogan gained momentum and was later adopted into the slogan "Wir sind ein Volk!" (We are one people!) on a leaflet by three Leipzig civil rights groups on October 9th.
The term "Peaceful Revolution" was first used by Walter Momper, then Governing Mayor of West Berlin, to describe the events in the GDR. The slogan and the concept of a peaceful revolution resonated with the people, and the term was later adopted by the New Forum (NF), a political platform for the whole of the GDR, and other West German politicians in December 1989.
The Initiative Peace and Human Rights (IFM) had called on all independent groups in March 1989 to join its efforts for profound changes in the GDR but avoided explicitly naming the intended merger. The first and only citizens' movement founded in the autumn of 1989 to explicitly call itself a 'civil movement' was the "Civil Movement Democracy Now" (DJ).
The term "Wende" (Turnaround) was already in use in the GDR before Egon Krenz, the newly elected SED General Secretary, announced its use in October 1989. Krenz attempted to appropriate the "Peaceful Revolution" and "Citizen's Movements" by introducing the term "Wende." However, the term "citizen's movement" became the collective term for all relevant formations in the GDR by the media, especially the East German ones, from November 1989 onwards.
The concept of revolution initially played a minor role in the fall of 1989, including in the mass demonstrations on the streets of Leipzig, Plauen, and Berlin. The slogan "Wir sind das Volk!" became the central slogan of the autumn, uniting the people in their quest for change. The slogan "We are one people!" was used as a CDU election campaign slogan for German unity, reflecting the power and unity that the phrase had come to represent.
The emergence of "Wir sind das Volk!" marked a turning point in East Germany's history, embodying the people's desire for change and unity. The slogan became a rallying cry for the peaceful revolution, inspiring hope and uniting the people in their quest for freedom and democracy.
