Last Days of East Berlin - Raw Footage of DDR 40th Anniversary Celebrations (1989)

[@AnonAnonAnon]

I was serving in West Berlin in the British Army when all this was happening. We had no idea what was going to happen but we knew there was unrest over the Wall in East Berlin. Then one day reports were coming in of troop build up on one section of the Wall in the East (can't remember whereabouts). In the foyer of where I worked, the officer commanding decided to put up on the noticeboard, the intelligence signals that were coming through, a running commentary of what we thought was going on over the Wall. We all believed maybe civil unrest followed by an invasion of West Berlin! Then one day a government official in East Berlin stated live on East German TV (incorrectly) that the border would be opened for East Germans to come and go freely into West Berlin and the next, thousands pouring over the checkpoint followed by sections of the Wall been torn down by East Germany Army engineers. It all happened so fast! Then on New Years Eve 1989, as a British Army soldier, I found myself climbing up the Berlin Wall next to the Reichstag and standing on top looking over into East Berlin when only a few months before, I'd have been shot at for doing so, and then I climbed down into East Berlin! Exciting times.

[@matthew1882]

What a sight to have witnessed. The end of the first Cold War must have been an exhilarating time

[@JagdgeschwaderX]

and almost 40 years Britain is almost as bad. Not much to celebrate.

[@FFF-097-r7w]

Sei stato un testimone della storia. Involontariamente ,hai scritto un pagina di libro della tua vita senza rischiare e ricca di emozioni,bellissimo e grazie per la tua testimonianza!

[@olivere5497]

I bet when you look around you at the modern united and 'free Europe' and compare it to the cold war europe you kinda wish we had a nuclear war un the 80s eh? This place is a mess!

[@olivere5497]

@@JagdgeschwaderX britain is as bad as the stasi or we are as leftwing as the east germans? Whats your point??

[@Air-kz4ee]

I was serving in the Soviet Army in DDR in the midst of 80s. Level of living ( "Lebensniveau') of east Germans was much higher than in Soviet Union. But apparently lower than in the West Germany. It's funny that not a single Soviet military man was captured by camera, as DDR was overwhelmed by Soviet troops. Wherever you go you come across the men in the Soviet military uniform or military vehicle. The Group of the Soviet Forces in Germany (GSVG - official abbreviation) on its peak was up to 300++ thousand servicemen and 7700 tanks. Berlin was the only place in the country relatively clear of Soviet soldiers.

[@eurocouriernorwayrealidade7122]

REALLY ! THATS AMAZING ! I NEVER MEET ANYONE SERVED IN DDR ! YOU ARE PART OF HISTORY !

[@Jean-rg4sp]

During my visits to the DDR (1972 and 1977) I never once saw a Soviet soldier.

[@Air-kz4ee]

@@Jean-rg4sp I suppose you'd been in Berlin only. Berlin was the only place soviet military were not allowed to be seen. Except for 3 motor-rifle batallions as guards of honor of the Unknown Soldier Monument.

[@NicholasKuqali]

@@directscientific4550yes I would like to know as well.

[@fredferkel1448]

One would prefer not to remember the Russians at all. Nothing has changed about the Russians' primitive nature to this day.

[@MaximusandHistory]

Thank you for uploading this stunning quality video! I remember seeing some clips of this video on some stock footage sites for licensing, but now we are finally able to see the full version! Kudos to ITN!

[@ITNArchive]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@NandiCollector]

*I love your channel with old DDR footage my friend. :)*

[@TheFrewah]

@@ITNArchiveI just found your channel and I love it. East Germany investigated is also good

[@TheFrewah]

@@ITNArchiveI have to ask a question. When the first gate opened because of the pressure, I remember seeing this guard in disbelief who looked like he tried to memorise the face of each person that passed. A really bad day at work! Was there ever an interview with this guy??

[@nilshallberg4554]

De​@@NandiCollector

[@midnightteapot5633]

Those soldiers forming up for the parade are not ordinary NVA troops , they are from the Wach regiment Feliks E. Dzierzynski , the military component of the STASI. It is rare to see footage of them.

[@Rostov_red_beard]

cool catch thank you!

[@Deutsch_Demokratisch_Republik]

you can tell from the cuff title@@Rostov_red_beard

[@ErikF054]

The current club president of 1. FC Union Berlin Dirk Zingler did his military service with the "Feliks E. Dzierzynski" Guards Regiment if I'm not mistaken.

[@TheFrewah]

Was it not Erich Mielke that gave them that name?

[@cszabo8899]

Named after the head of the Cheka, no less.

[@fratercontenduntocculta8161]

The East German content from ITN is incredible stuff! I love how much they focus on the faces too.

[@mattskustomkreations]

The facial focus is probably for the Stazi’s sake.

[@GirolamoZanchi_is_cool]

And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. - Jeremiah 29:13 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. - John 3:16 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out. - Acts 3:19 If you’re in North America, please go check out any of the churches available to you: PCA, OPC, Rpcna/Rpc, Urcna, or a canrc church (These are conservative and actual Presbyterian churches) If you can’t find one of the conservative presby churches then, maybe a Lcms Lutheran church. If you’re Scottish, I recommend the Free Church of Scotland and the APC. (Different from the Church of Scotland) If you’re English I recommend the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England & Wales and the Free Church of England (Different from the Church of England) Also online you can look up church finders for each of the groups, it will show you locations .

[@GirolamoZanchi_is_cool]

@@mattskustomkreations🦙

[@GirolamoZanchi_is_cool]

And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. - Jeremiah 29:13 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. - John 3:16 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out. - Acts 3:19 If you’re in North America, please go check out any of the churches available to you: PCA, OPC, Rpcna/Rpc, Urcna, or a canrc church (These are conservative & actual Presbyterian churches) If you can’t find one of the conservative presby churches then, maybe a Lcms Lutheran church. If you’re Scottish, I recommend the Free Church of Scotland and the APC. (Different from the Church of Scotland) If you’re English I recommend the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England & Wales and the Free Church of England (Different from the Church of England) Also online you can look up church finders for each of the groups, it will show you locations

[@bastobasto4866]

@@GirolamoZanchi_is_cool lama?

[@Ekatjam]

A stringline is so German. My father has to make sure both his garbage cans are spotless and lined up perfectly even, as if they will be inspected.

[@el_aleman]

Wir müssen Ordnung haben !

[@Jean-rg4sp]

I never saw one being used before this.

[@JohnHughes-bi4ls]

Ein einzigartiges Video in bisher noch nicht gekannter Qualität und Detaliliertheit... vielen Dank für den Upload !!!

[@warwarneverchanges4937]

Mullet heaven, I remember going to Germany in the 90´s those mullets was one thing that didnt change with the wall going down thats for shure.

[@m42037]

Quatsch, they looked better than your Führer's mustache! Your people glorified him in the early 40s and paid a big price till October 1989!

[@DmitryVSokolov]

hell yeah. In Russia we all have had the same mullet haircut those days

[@roryobrien4401]

And the tacky denim bomber jackets!!

[@margritpiepes8242]

Well not everybody had a mullet Hair do 🤔🤔😉

[@strongbow310]

Hilarious they all have the same haircut lololo

[@KrokShell]

Служил в Германии ЗГВ, г.Наумбург 1990-92гг. О ГДР и немцах остались самые приятные воспоминания...

[@ТайныйПоклонникАлены]

Сериал "ГДР" 2024 смотрели? Я окончил 8 классов ГСВГ Вюнсдорф в 1987, а год в 1982 жили в Галле . Обнимаю тебя дружище

[@KrokShell]

@@ТайныйПоклонникАлены Доброе утро.Служил в Наумбурге в/ч 83113, недалеко от Галле. Начал смотреть первую серию ГДР и что-то не зашло,может позже посмотрю...

[@5919thomas]

Naumburg ist in Ostdeutschland !!!

[@professional7666]

Сотни восточных немцев были убиты при попытке перебежать на Запад, ГДР - это мертворожденное государство, созданное по советскому образцу, такое же тоталитарное государство, их госбезопасность ( тайная полиция - Штази ), была создана по образцу НКВД - КГБ, пресекала любое инакомыслие, руководил ею генерал Мильке - в начале 30 годов убивший двух полицейских и скрывшийся в СССР, после войны войны вернулся и был назначен руководителем " Штази ". На видео в толпе это гражданская полиция. ведет себя вполне мирно и даже растерянно, практически безоружные. МИльке судили после объединения Германии, но в силу престарелого возраста дело по - моему прекратили!

[@borodarust870]

стариков показывали на 24 минуте, это старые нацисты?

[@AlexFranceParis999]

Interesting to think that only one month later, the DDR virtually "collapsed" after Günter Schabowski announced (too early) the opening of the Berlin Wall during the mythic press conference of November 9th. Schabowski can be seen at 16:53, with the striped red tie.

[@TheFrewah]

Imagine how different things could have been had he not been given that question.

[@Dutch_Uncle]

Agree. They would have had more time to work out and try a new version, more calibrated to reaity. With Eric Hoenecker deposed and a new cast in charge they might have bought time for a new and reformed version. It shows how fragile the system was, and how clueless everyone was, the westerners as well as the EG leadership and the Soviets and the press, about the discontent in the population and the fundamentel fault lines through the system. However, the leaders of some of the workers militia units had advised their superiors that their troops would be unreliable if called upon to respond to unrest in the population. The real hero is Harald Jaeger. He was serving was serving as duty officer in charge of the border guards at the Bornholmer Strasse crossing that night. He could not get direction from his chain of command about what to do with/to the multitudes after Gunther Schabowski's premature announcement, so he ordered his troops to open the gates. It could have been a bloodbath, a reenactment of the Tianamen Square slaughter. He gets a "Profiles in Courge" medal for his actions and non-actions that night.

[@grahamariss2111]

​@@Dutch_UncleEven if the question had not been asked there and then it would have been asked soon enough as East Germany had already lost control of the situation with the opening of the Hungarian border and so was bleeding people so not matter what they attempted in reforms they were facing economic collapse.

[@joebombero1]

Thatcher and George Bush were terrified of a reunited Germany and secretly tried to generate money to keep East Germany afloat, but it was too far gone.

[@beeman1246]

from a Nazi he became a communist, and then he became a capitalist. Great career

[@Alfredromeothatsme]

I worked near Koblenz in 2005/6 and met several people during my time there who had moved from the old East Germany. Fascinating to hear their stories under the old regime.

[@DNS-Freakz]

Oh, thats cool. I was born and live in Koblenz.

[@LuckysLair]

I visited a fellow American soldier and his family in West Berlin in the Spring of 1987, he and I had trained together in Fort Benning Georgia a couple years before. He was my tour guide around West Berlin, and we also had our papers in order to travel over into East Berlin. I never thought I'd live to see the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Warsaw Pact in my lifetime. Little did I know how soon it would happen.

[@1984isnotamanual]

What was East Berlin like?

[@user-glg20]

Greetings from Poland. I remember DDR as a teenager. Especially I remembered 3 things: 1. Very athletics and powerful sportsmen (and sport-women. Till today I remember name of Heike Drexler and Katarina Witt) 2. Motocycle like Simson and MZ and Cars like Trabant and Wartburg which needed special oil beside petrol to drive and produced a lot of smoke behind them (Greta T. would be "happy" 😀) 3. Good quality products (at that time we have shortage of everything in Poland, so products from DDR were very precious)

[@Jean-rg4sp]

I bought my alarm clock at London Airport (Heathrow) made in the DDR. Very reliable. I was never late for work.

[@albertopiergiorgi5980]

Obie panie maja zarzuty o doping - jak prawie cała sportowa ekipa NRD. To byli mutanci. Prawie wszyscy oddali swoje medale olimpijskie

[@Tadeusz-z6k]

Not everyting bevause you have vineger on shel.

[@jamesgates1074]

0:13 this guy's eyebrows are showing support for east west reunification.

[@angelitos99]

I hope you have more footage from the GDR, 'cause what you' ve uploaded until now is ridiculously astonishing. You and @MaximusandHistory are my favorite sources.

[@mariannenygaard1861]

At the 40th jubilee for DDR in 1989 Mikhail Gorbachev said to Erich Honecker: "Whoever comes late will be punished by life." The immediate interpretation was that Gorbachev exhorted his East German colleague to reform his country's communist regime - to save communism. In other words, the same efforts that Gorbachev was undertaking at home in his Soviet Union. You might say the both came to late.

[@TheFrewah]

Oops, I think a Troll reported my comment

[@Dutch_Uncle]

Further, Gorbachev made it clear that the Soviet Army was no longer available to respond to domestic unrest in E. Germany.

[@critical-ren-fan-corner]

That's a lie. Gorbachev wasn't going to save anything. The USSR and other socialist countries (except China) began to degrade after the beginning of market reforms. The result of such reforms was the privatization by Russian/Soviet politicians and foreign corporations of everything that had been built in the USSR for decades

[@maasro]

Or you might say they both were just in time. Ceaușescu clearly was too late...

[@RussianSevereWeatherVideos]

@@Dutch_Uncle He really ruined a great country and led to the current world turmoil that bastard.

[@Peatman]

When I was 13, my parents and I vacationed around Schwerin and Wismar, former DDR. This was in the summer of 92. There were still Russian soldiers hanging about everywhere. With nothing to do. The USSR had collapsed, the political situation was still getting figured out, and there were no proper resources yet to get these guys back home. We saw a very foreboding Russian military base with machine guns in guard towers on each corner. There were signs in Russian and German strictly forbidding any photography. It didn't stop my dad from sneaking in a few. I remember seeing a few soldiers unloading a truck at a neighbourhood black market. Anything to make a buck or two. We continued on to Rostock to take a ferry to Denmark, and there were a good number of Russian ships still tied up in the harbour, literally and figuratively. The whole experience, as well as the difference in mentality between West and East Germans, was fascinating.

[@myvictory8294]

Not exactly what was happening. By summer of 94 all of the Russian troops were fully withdrawn from Germany, and Germany paid for it. Also, no Russian soldier was ever allowed to roam freely. Only officers. And there's always something to do in the army.

[@BLaw707]

@@Peatman Yes, saw the same in 1992, Especially in Potsdam.

[@tomduggan51]

ITN Archive, Thanks for this invaluable & historic footage! Thankfully this situation did not lead to more serious events.

[@MilesNauticus]

Probably the last official ceremony attended by Honecker who resigned from all positions in October 1989. Two months later the DDR fell, one year later Germany was reunified.

[@aayushdas19]

What happened to him after unison?

[@kerentolbert5448]

Do the former leaders of GDR get a pension from Greater Germany?

[@jonraybon8582]

@@kerentolbert5448No. Most of the NVA was disbanded, with no compensation. Some were retained in the Bundeswehr with reduced rank.

[@BlauKraut-gg5iu]

@@kerentolbert5448 Of course they did, and their stooges too, but the leaders all are long dead now, they were old then and 34 years have passed.

[@Jean-rg4sp]

@@aayushdas19 I believe he died soon after of cancer in Moscow.

[@lotharvonrichthofen4474]

In 1978 I was 10 years old and visiting Europe with my family on our summer vacation...When we stopped at the East German border crossing on our way to West Berlin, the guards kept us waiting for 3 hours in the hot July sun...My dad, who spoke fluent German, asked why we were being held up for so long and the guards either didn't know why or wouldn't tell him...they rolled mirrors underneath our VW Micro Bus rental, looked over our passports multiple times, and would not allow us to use the bathroom...now mind you that I'm 10, my brother was 16, and my mom and dad were in their early 40's. They finally let us go. The machine gun tower trained their guns on us as we drove away and my mom yelled at us to not look at them....when we reached West Berlin we met some friends and enjoyed about a weeks stay there. We did take a guided group tour of East Berlin, that was run of course by the East Berlin/German tourism bureau....We had an older lady who boarded our bus just inside of check point Charlie, she was our tour guide. It was all pure propaganda about how wonderful Communism was, and how everyone who lived in East Berlin and East Germany were all so happy and content, and how thankful they were that the Soviet Soldiers "liberated" them from the Nazis. But everything looked like it was painted in the same dull shade of grey...the cars driving around had primarily 2 stroke gasoline engines that were noisy and belched smoke as they drove through the streets...but the thing that really stuck out was how unhappy people looked...it was very gloomy. We did see some beautiful parks and museums, I do remember that, and I did wave at some children playing soccer in a park and smile at them...they returned a wave and smile...when we were exiting East Berlin at the check point, we stopped and the guide got out and bid us farewell...My mom told me that I visibly was upset and she asked me what was wrong...Apparently I told her that I was sad that the lady couldn't stay on the bus and that she had to stay behind In 2002 I revisited Berlin and it was nice to see the wall down and the commerce that was taking place there...the city looked much improved from what I could tell...I visited two of the museums that I had back in 1978 so that was fun...The dull grey paint had been replaced with much more color and vibrance and people now had the ability to travel freely and not be locked into their tightly restrictive country of the DDR.

[@TheFrewah]

I remember Honecker claiming that the wall would come down when the reson for its existence was gone. And so it did

[@michaelmartin9022]

Didn't he mean to say "When we decide the wall can come down people will be able to cross immediately", but somehow blurted out "you can cross immediately" live on TV? Imagine the greatest political upheaval of the decade happening because the autocue was too fast.

[@jindrichlnenicka7214]

@@michaelmartin9022 Nope. Honecker (who resisted reforms and insisted on hard line commie dictatorship) was removed from power on 18th October 1989 and was replaced by Egon Krenz, who was more inclined to reforms, nonetheless still planned to retain socialism (to add - people trying to cross to West Germany were still shot at when Krenz was in power, so he certainly was not a "good guy"). However after waves of emmigration through Czechoslovakia (where people were sheltered by West German embassy in Prague and then were sent in trains to West Germany) and Hungary (where commie government already fell) and especially after realizing, that GDR was on the verge of bankruptcy (which was kept secret even from high ranked party members), Krenz was forced to deal with travel policy reforms. Politburo then discussed this topic on 9th November 1989 with Günter Schabowski chosen to present results of the meeting on the press conference to the western media. However, what he didn't know, was WHEN will the new travel policy take effect. That was discussed during a smoke break, where Schabowski wasn't present. So when he was asked, WHEN will the new travel policy take effect, he started looking through his papers and still didn't find the answer. So he said "As far is I know, immediately, without delay." Politburo went furious, but as people were already storming border checkpoints after hearing Schabowski on TV with guards being so overwhelmed, that they didn't resist. In a few hours, Berlin Wall literally fell. Probably just due to one party member not going to the smoke break. If you're interested, here is the press conference with Schabovski: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJPdmXt9mKqtY6c

[@cv990a4]

@@jindrichlnenicka7214 Incredible that Honecker was given the boot not even two weeks after the 40th anniversary. At this point, things were happening very quickly. The collapse of East Germany took not only the DDR but even the BDR by surprise. Western politicians found it hard to keep up. When this was filmed, reunification seemed like a dream, within six months it was nearly fait accompli.

[@mlc4495]

@@cv990a4 Yeah, imagine even how KGB HQ in Dresden must have felt witnessing all this going on around them and powerless to stop it. A certain junior officer stationed in East Germany at the time still never got over this........

[@jaribuuri2711]

​@@mlc4495 OK , THAT FUCKING GUY IS tovarits lilliputin !!!

[@m.speiser7353]

schöne Detailaufnahmen aus dieser Zeit, bisher habe ich die noch nicht gesehen, vielen Dank für das Video!

[@TheFrewah]

I don’t know if I’ve seen this, I’m from Sweden and we may not have seen as much as Germans did. I was in awe when this events happened. There was a border guard, Harald Jäger, that opened the Bornholmer Strasse gate and when he did, there was this other guard who witnessed everything in disbelief. He looked like he tried to memorise the face of each individual that passed. It would be interesting if there was an interview with this guy. Do you know if there exists such an interview?

[@m42037]

​@@TheFrewahAll this DDR because of the man with the funny mustache. 45 years of suffering after the war

[@TheFrewah]

@@m42037 Initially I thought about The Bearded One, Charlie Marx. But you meant Ulbricht of course who had a funny mustache indeed. I was very happy when the insanity came to an end.

[@ralffichtner9791]

@@TheFrewah That's an interesting take. To me the mustache man who started this is the one of austrian descent. Marx was a hopeless romantic, Ulbricht was just an idiot.

[@ralffichtner9791]

@@TheFrewah That's an interesting take. To me the mustache man who started this is the one of austrian descent. Marx was a hopeless romantic, Ulbricht was just an idiot.

[@horrorhunter0355]

East Germany was at that point doomed to fall. Both the US and the USSR wanted this country gone (West Germany as well) and so it happened!

[@mads3622]

it was always meant to be temporary. wishful thinking on the USSR's part thought the west would turn communist. unfortunately (or thankfully depending on who you ask), that didn't happen.

[@erc9468]

The east german people wanted it to happen. and so it happened.

[@modricaninmodricki7559]

Every country is doomed to fall, because every efficient country eats their best children thru war or thru hard work. It's just question how long you can manipulate people.

[@jamesferguson5279]

Actually East Germany was the most productive and reliable member of the Warsaw Pact, the USSR no more wanted to lose East Germany than witness its own end a short time later.

[@lupsastta90]

@@jamesferguson5279They are Germans after all, you can put them under a medieval feudal society and they ll still do just fine.

[@АзБукиВедиРазДваТри]

большой привет всем, кто считает себя немцем из ГДР. пусть возможно сегодня вас очень мало, но спасибо что вы были и еще большее спасибо, что вы есть. и простите если сможете.

[@furthercomplicated4639]

32:03

[@NetzKanal]

Awesome footage! Thx for sharing them 👌

[@ITNArchive]

Thanks for watching!

[@m42037]

​@@ITNArchiveAll this because of one man that ruled from 33-45

[@MrJdog1987]

Amazing historical footage thank you for sharing this video

[@debra7925]

I was living in West Berlin at the time. I remember being given a badge with Gorbachev's head on it! Truly amazing footage. We went regularly into East Berlin and I still have products made in the GDR.

[@jorghartmann9334]

und wieso sprichtst du nicht deutsch? hahahaha

[@debra7925]

Warum haben Sie das gesagt? Ich spreche gut Deutsch und habe auch die Sprache auf die Universität studiert......😮 Komisch.....?

[@Awesomes007]

The video is great, but the anecdotes in comments from witnesses is just as important. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories!

[@Darryl_Francis]

You can tell just from the way the civilians dressed and chose to present themselves, they weren't really feeling it

[@husseinoskovjino9398]

Bruh that doesn’t make sense at all

[@kjell-jorvikyvind5205]

I grew up in west Germany and was fortunate to have visited the east via Berlin and Checkpoint Charlie. I was very young and didn't really understand what was going on. I remember that buildings were drab, shops fairly empty but the people were amazing.

[@Jean-rg4sp]

The DDR was the most advanced economy and standard of living of all the Warsaw Pact countries.

[@bbjib]

In what way were the people amazing?

[@jackyack7850]

Is the sound real or added in post? The grinding gears of the Lada cars was just too funny.

[@whatarewedoinghere42]

The sounds are real! To find the answer yourself you just need listen if they fit the scenes. Most added sounds are a mess and inconsistent in tone and volume and for that reason very obvious to note.

[@eagleone5456]

Some of it seems post effects. The squeaky stroller wheel, and the absense of sound in other parts makes me believe its done for greater emotional effect.

[@jefforymitchell5697]

Of course they're real, 1989 wasn't THAT long ago, they had microphones 😂

[@horsenuts1831]

@@jefforymitchell5697 It's entirely possible that the sound was recorded separately and dubbed afterwards. I've come across a LOT of 1980s 16mm footage and it's actually quite rare to find sound on it. The sound is probably correct for the day, but recorded remotely from the camera and added later.

[@guyrowland4711]

This is real - it's (terrific) video footage, not 16mm film. Amazing to me that some might think it's dubbed.@@horsenuts1831

[@GIORDANOBRUNO1969]

Thanks for uploading! These videos are monuments of history! Greetings from Italy!

[@A-zp1jl]

Беннето Муссолини хотел Рим империю 😅❤

[@mediarolf]

Eine Beerdigung von Dilettanten ausgeführt.

[@global001]

Great footage. Camera person was on it. So 80/90’s. A time & place which no longer exists more so than any other.

[@incorectulpolitic]

visit turkmenistan or belarus or north korea and (and many more) it is like you travelled back in time

[@dbwilson1965a]

Thank you for posting these high-quality videos! I was visiting East Berlin in 1986 as a university student. I wish I could have been there during the fall of the wall! Please keep posting these great videos. They are such wonderful pieces of history!

[@jfk1841]

16:01 They should've kept the East German Anthem, much better than the current anthem in my opinion. Very nostalgic tune. Not sure if this was one of the last times the Anthem was used officially, but if it was, the tune is more poigant given that East Germany would cease to be a country soon after.

[@ddr7246]

❤❤

[@zymelin21]

if you want to still sing it, it can be sung to the tune of "Deutschland über allles"

[@adifreitag8579]

Die ganze Veranstaltung macht auf mich den Eindruck einer Beerdigung. Und so war es tatsächlich auch.

[@andreasu.3546]

"Letzte Ölung" kommt mir in den Sinn.

[@adifreitag8579]

@@andreasu.3546 Dazu die passende Musik: Trauermarsch aus Saul kzbin.info/www/bejne/bmPIn3V9i7xrrKs

[@kerentolbert5448]

​@@andreasu.3546A dirige.

[@faustorossini7865]

Понятное дело, когда единственное веселье который ты любил это гей парад.

[@Scriptorsilentum]

the music really sounds like friggin dirges.

[@grnt25]

They still lived way better than we did in USSR

[@chuck77k]

It depends on what propaganda footage you're seeing at the moment ;)

[@chuck77k]

@@sleeper976 you right, it was a joke. I know, I was born in USSR.

[@Tobi-ln9xr]

@@chuck77k No, East Germany actually had by far the highest living standards and HDI among the Communist and socialists countries in the world.

[@betsm5842]

@@chuck77k just fact, their military was better than russias too

[@chuck77k]

@@betsm5842 Always interesting to meet an expert in types of crap :)

[@hermannthefisherman2960]

Very precious footage, such high quality, thank you for uploading! Seeing this makes me wonder if there's footage in Indonesia in this channel, guess I better start looking 😮

[@spidyman8853]

26:16 been up that fernsehturm berlin (TV Tower) so many times like a yoyo It was very cheap in them days. I think that TV tower, the Berliner Staadt hotel and World clocks are what remained of the old DDR.

[@literarynick]

Did you live in East Germany at the time? From the perspective of an American who had yet to be born, all of this is fascinating to me.

[@spidyman8853]

@@literarynick Yep, I was a child and was a foreign visitor for only a few years. But old enough to go on the Metro to Alexanderplatz and visit these attractions. It was raw. And was glad to have experienced a world that no longer exists. I must say, I found the East Germans to be a friendly bunch. They weren't used to seeing foreign faces that much and so were always curious and friendly. I guess now a days, the opposite is the case in Berlin lol.

[@spidyman8853]

@@literarynick Oh and Berlin was much cleaner from what I remember, as well as no Graffiti on walls or trains/metro.

[@ragnarulrichson778]

@spidyman8853 I lived in Berlin in the 80s and 90s. The east had no graffiti but plenty of coal marks. Every building had deep nasty black stripes like tears going down them. Similarly, many of the buildings in the east were made with Soviet asbestos concrete, which was soft and brittle. This caused many of the apartments and other high rises to tilt to one side in a crazy fashion. There was a constant palor of burning in the air you couldn't get away from.The east while devoid of graffiti was a very dirty and bleak place.

[@flyover9818]

How did Ryan Gosling (10 second mark) end up in this film also. He has aged really well!!

[@tufikum2633]

Gosling sounds german to me. Somewhere in the past they might share a common ancestor.

[@MilesNauticus]

He looks more like Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story movie) than Ryan Gosling...

[@theromanbaron]

You’re both wrong, Ost Deutsch John Cleese

[@bastobasto4866]

followed by margaret mcpoyle from always sunny

[@raynursuai1036]

ryan gosling with a slight habsburg jaw?

[@brucecamp4448]

Those helmets the Soldiers wear in the Celebration are from Prototype helmets made for the Wehrmacht from World War 2.

[@russcattell955i]

Their uniforms look like wehrmacht styled too. Yet their drill is so sloppy.

[@jaybee9269]

No, the Wehrmacht used an updated version of the classic Stahlhelm…if I’m spelling it right!

[@rocketchile]

@@jaybee9269 He says its based on a prototype. The prototype is the Steelhelmet B II. Actually a few were made befeore the war ended.

[@jaybee9269]

@@rocketchile >> Thanks, I didn’t know.

[@lespion4140]

Was 26 in 1989 (Leipzig) thank you so much for the video.

[@raphaelklietmann5529]

It is really amazing how old the GDR leaders were.. real "concrete-heads"

[@Heinrich-k1u]

It’s DDR. We don’t want English here. Germany above all, Ami go.home.

[@LuchokPlay]

Younger than Biden

[@pupkin5102]

Бетонным головам жилось очень хорошо👌👍😇😮

[@danielvanr.8681]

It was typical for many Commie countries: once someone took power, they remained there for decades. East Germany had de facto 3 leaders in its lifespan, 2 of whom were in office for roughly 20 years each. A bit like the Soviet Union's Leonid Brezhnev, who was in power for 18 years (1964-1982). These 3 were surpassed in "seniority" only by Albania's Enver Hoxha (1944-1985, 41 years), Yugoslavia's Josip Broz Tito (1943-1980, 37 years), Bulgaria's Todor Zhivkov (1954-1989, 35 years), and Poland's Władysław Gomułka (1945-1948 + 1956-1970, 17 years). Outside of Europe we have Cuba's Fidel Castro, who ruled Cuba for an astounding 49 years (1959-2008).

[@Maring0418]

The amateur-esque nature of the film work really makes you understand how fairly recent this happened! It's almost like it was filmed today by some bystander who then uploaded it to KZbin. Amazing and extremely fascinating.

[@hafiz2727abd]

Anyone know what is the first music March at 0:01

[@К.М-е5т]

Если бы тогда в СССР вместо Горбачева был бы Путин, то никакого разрушения Берлинской стены не было. Советские войска жестоко бы подавили бы все бунты в ГДР. Очень повезло, что тогда у власти был Горбачев. .

[@Alx-alx-alx]

I served in the Soviet Army from 1986 to 1988 in the city of Plauen. I was on the western inner-German border in Saxony. A stunning and terrible structure - the German-German border. In December 1988 I was in Berlin under the supervision of an officer. In the city of Wünsdorf, 40 km from Berlin, there was a Soviet railway station, from where direct trains went to Moscow.

[@Flyinghigh3597]

In 1989 when East Germany was at the brink of collapse, China has offered help. That year September East German leader Honnecker visiting Beijiang to meet Chinese supreme leader Deng Xiaoping. The Chinese leader has realized the dire situations of Soviet Union abandoning their eastern European allies. When China prepared to send aid to east Germany, that November east Germany collapsed and in chaos. The succeding leader Krenz failed to hold the country and due to unknown reason, they just gaveup. Leaving the Chinese amazed !

[@RobertoAlvarezGalloso]

Actually Honnecker went to China in 1986. Egon Krenz visited China in 1989 but not during the time of the fall of the Berlín Wall. Egon Krenz was trying to hold things together but the process in East Germany was out of his hands and out of the hands of the government. I was 27 at the time listening to the two Germanies on shortwave radio [1989]

[@marksheen4873]

Wish there were explanations to what was happening in different scenes

[@williamberlin6540]

We were protesting against the socialist government and the wall

[@jamesgriffin7127]

Brilliant TV reporting. Love documentaries ❤

[@TheRevoled]

Whats the music called at the beginning of the video where the troops are in standing in formation? / Wie heißt die Musik zu Beginn des Videos, in dem die Truppen in Formation stehen?

[@coolmusketeer9805]

From what I've heard. It's a song called "Immortal Victims". You may need to translate it to German in case you can't find it.

[@ЕвгенийГерасимов-з2ж]

Вы жертвою пали в борьбе роковой.

[@margritpiepes8242]

Did Musik heißt : wann fällt die Mauer?!

[@zymelin21]

the narch being heard is the east german "presentation march"

[@GIORDANOBRUNO1969]

0:38 Thanks for uploading! These videos are monuments of 2:08 history! ...and I'm nostalgic, I admit it! Greetings from Italy!

[@A-zp1jl]

Рим империю

[@alexanderolena]

Awesome helmets. Looks like starship troopers.

[@jaybee9269]

I JUST left that same comment!😂

[@Latviešu_Amēlija]

They look horrible😂😂😂 and hilarious

[@jaybee9269]

@@Latviešu_Amēlija >> They’re like the goose-step march; would only work in a country where you’re not allowed to laugh at the military!

[@A-zp1jl]

Гитлер свастика 😅

[@SkipperBlue]

These ugly helmets deformed these handsome young men. They were fixed on the head much to high. The boys looked like mushrooms.

[@NicholasKuqali]

17:46 is that Gunter Schabowski ? The one that announced the wall was open?

[@frozengansit0]

my friends dad was from east germany. He says no one would have wanted reunification if the economy didnt crap out in the last 3 years of its existance

[@efreutel]

Correct. East Gernans would have been quite satisfied with their fiberglass body 2 cycle Trabants far far into the future; meanwhile Mercedes Benz , BMW, Porsche just over the border. Nothing to see here, no?

[@andreasu.3546]

"No one wanted reunification" - What about the thousands that fled the country before 1986, 93 of them paying with their life? You think they wanted out but did not want reunification?

[@Sean-fj9pn]

The DDR was a total disaster and an awfully oppressive state. A horrid and evil place.

[@frozengansit0]

@@Sean-fj9pn 🤡

[@jaycristoval6155]

You mean after the Soviets couldn't afford to prop them up anymore??

[@senseo2848]

Stunning footage of the last days of the dying GDR

[@ursulafranke4552]

Wieso sterbende DDR? Wir wurden verraten und verkauft ! Wir haben den WK II 2 x verloren.

[@michealkelliher8428]

Their helmets are modern and ground bresking for the time. They have been using these helmets since the 1960s. Better than wearing those deep bowl helmets that Americans were wearing from WW2 right up to 1983. This was the real German army. Extremely disciplined and well trained, compared to the Bundeswehr. NVA was closer to Prussian style than their western rival.

[@sammy713]

Du meinst der Wehrmacht.

[@robertburke1486]

They were insufferable jackasses who would shoot teenagers who were trying to get over the wall to West Berlin.

[@AnArchyRulzz]

That's because GDR had to have a well trained army to defend communism. West Germany could always just rely on the United States

[@Rio.Motel.84]

The east German army of the time are like putins army of today, just another tool of the propaganda machine. These soldiers spent their time training to march and make nice parades. Western army's train to wage war efficienctly and effectively.

[@russellmiles2861]

I am not sure disciple is the word. The East German state made a lot of effort to keep control of military and security apparatus: they kept them divided and suspicious of each other. The parade dress and such were part of this propaganda effort towards there own people. The relentless hearts and minds effort by the West over the Cold War had its effect. They collapsed without drama, their senior officers willingly retired with the decent West German pensions, and the troops abided their new West German commanders, and young folk embraced liberal democracy. This kinda showed how shallow the disciple was: if there had been a war they'd have likely promptly switched sides. I suspect the East German regime knew this.

[@kaisushii]

@1:00 why are they angry at the soldiers?

[@jonathanstempleton7864]

Because the soldiers represent the evil and barbaric regime which has bullied and oppressed them for 40 years.

[@old-schematic]

The soldies didn't allow them to let the immigrants in, which is fortunately not the case anymore! Viva la immigration!

[@grega9603]

7:32 Blue jacket drip crew coming through

[@harrydoku8268]

Fantastic footage, much appreciated.

[@emjackson2289]

You can see the Prussian in the NVA soldiers can you not? I mean, blimey, you could be watching the Wehrmacht c. 1933 there apart from the helmets & any rifle that's not an SKS i.e. something that vaguely looks more like a 1930s service rifle than say the MPiKM (the DDR's domestic Kalashnikov-type rifle). And I hope I've got the letters the right way around there.

[@scoutdynamics3272]

Those helmets were originally designed for the Wehrmacht to replace the coal bucket helmets they were known for. The German border guards adopted a new Kevlar helmet styled like the DDR helmets

[@Tobi-ln9xr]

Not really. Look at the uniforms of the West German Bundesgrenzschutz which was the predecessor of the modern German army after WW2. They look pretty similar to those in the Wehrmacht. And even the uniforms of the Wehrmacht weren't the first of their kind. The uniforms of the Wachtruppe Berlin during the Weimar Republic also look like Wehrmacht uniforms.

[@VolkovVelikan]

Because east Germany took conscious effort in looking “more German” than west Germany. At the beginning they were given Soviet uniforms, but they didn’t like the idea of looking Russian, so they decided to mix elements of the previous Nazi uniforms design with the old Prussian style and the new communist symbols.

[@andreasoppliger1968]

13:35 what‘s the name of the song? Wie heisst das Lied?

[@Felix-gl9dt]

Вы жертвою пали/You Fell Victim to a Fateful Struggle

[@CollinYoung]

32:14 "burn down the house!" Is there any way Getty or others could figure out who filmed this stuff?

[@gygantor360]

What about the squishy sound of the troops’ boots when marching? Were they made of plastic. Really weird noise . . .

[@Buckshot9796]

Great video! I have said it before, whatever the DDR was, its national anthem is one of, if not the best!

[@aayushdas19]

It’s phenomenal and it really should have been the anthem of a United Germany.

[@jaybee9269]

Have you ever seen the film “Top Secret!” from the 1980s? It has an East German National Anthem: Hail, hail East Germany Land of vine and grape Land where you’ll regret Any try to escape No matter if you tunnel under Or take a running jump at the wall Forget it The guards will kill you If the electric fence doesn’t first

[@tomadeney8860]

'Auferstanden aus Ruinen' - Hanns Eisler

[@rudijoris9555]

What are the yelling at 32:38 ? I don’t speak German unfortunately.

[@azthundercloud]

I remember crossing the bridge at fulda gap after east germany fell. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. You could see the locals watching your every move.

[@tigerland4328]

Is there still a behaviour difference between people from east Germany and people from west Germany to this day?

[@michaelmartin9022]

​@tigerland4328 Even fairly recently west Berlin had the modern white LED street lights but much of east Berlin the old orange sodium kind. You could see the poverty and lack of investment from space!

[@tigerland4328]

@@michaelmartin9022 that's interesting. We have a north south decide in England (south in more wealthier than the north) but it's not the same as Germany.

[@azthundercloud]

@tigerland4328 yes there is. The older generation is still stuck in their ways. They grew up suspicious of everyone. The younger generation is different.

[@tigerland4328]

@@azthundercloud thank you. I was told by a German that the eastern Germans can be very suspicious of English folk but not so much in western Germany

[@monsterdream14]

What’s the division of the soldiers at the end and why are they hooted at ?

[@talis4646]

Those are VoPos (VolksPolizei), the State Police basically. They are hooted at because they are there to maintain order in a very difficult situation

[@NewsHistorian]

The last days of the mullet.

[@sc3304]

And double denim.

[@jonathanstempleton7864]

1989: the mullet 2024: the douche knot At least I don't feel like vomiting when I see a mullet

[@bleimor28]

I was in Berlin that year 1989 in April, as a French soldier. We had had the opportunity to visit East Berlin, getting there through that famous Check Pont Charlie.

[@TheFrewah]

It must have been most unexpected. You knew it was historic

[@bleimor28]

@@TheFrewah well, all soldiers had to get through that check point if they wanted to cross the Wall with a military authorization. U.S., British or French soldiers of the Allied occupying Forces though had to be in their own district between midnight and 6:00 am local time.

[@A-zp1jl]

Наполеона Бонапарт

[@MissKotten]

Ich bin so traurig über den Verlust meiner geliebten Heimat DDR

[@carstenhackel6743]

ich nicht …. good riddance!

[@dmitriyrusachev2034]

Я вас очень понимаю.

[@sqweege6432]

You both can always move to russia. I hear it’s about the same over there right now as it was in east Germany back then.

[@carstenhackel6743]

@@sqweege6432 why should I go to Russia? Which part of “good riddance” didn’t you understand?

[@helenrost9572]

Nun, Sie haben Glück, so wundervolle Zeiten gehabt zu haben. Wir vermissen auch die UdSSR.

[@CaptainCalculus]

What are they first chanting? something raus. (something out) Can any German speakers translate? I know they're chanting "Gorby...Gorby..." but what are the other chants?

[@thykw4333]

They mostly chanting "Bullen raus" thats german slang for Cops out, and "Polizeistaat" that means Police State and also "Freiheit für die Inhaftierten" that means "Free the Prisoners" in that term they mean the Persons that a halt in Prison by the Stasi

[@CaptainCalculus]

@@thykw4333 thanks

[@awakenedaristocrat]

unrecognizable compared to today :(

[@bacon1564]

How so?

[@nikolalucic9501]

There is a feeling in the air that the nightmare of the state will soon end.Grotesque but great video👍

[@phonkyjeodie4972]

never knew how sharp east german uniforms look and so disciplined

[@OswaldOstfalen]

However, in search of its own "German" and "socialist" military tradition, the state leadership soon ordered a change in appearance. As a result, new uniforms were introduced when the NVA was founded in 1956. These were very similar to those of the Wehrmacht. They were made of stone-gray cloth and had a similar cut, although from 1974/79 there were no high-necked, dark collars (except on the coats). The peculiarly flattened NVA helmet corresponded to the German Wehrmacht's experimental model "B/II" developed by Fry and his colleague Hänsel from the Institute for Defense Materials Science, Berlin, which had been in testing since 1943 but was no longer introduced. The GDR magazine "NBI" wrote in 1956 about the newly introduced steel helmet: "The members of the National People's Army of our GDR are better protected by the new steel helmet made of first-class material with the sloping shape. It was modeled after the earlier German steel helmet, taking into account the latest experiences created and ensures freedom of observation and movement". According to Willi Stoph and Walter Ulbricht, the aim was to emphasize the NVA's German "national character" with the traditional appearance, which, as critics complained, was similar to that of the Wehrmacht. The NVA's appearance was intended to consciously distinguish itself from the "US mercenaries" of the Bundeswehr, whose uniforms had initially closely resembled the appearance of the US troops since their founding in 1955, which Stoph described as an "overhanging capitalist costume" and "abandonment of the patriotic honor".

[@F40PH-2CAT]

Yeah, reminds me of those 1933-45 guys.....

[@RandomShit169]

@@F40PH-2CAT So? The uniform is still a great design.

[@hannovonbahrenfeld5986]

@@OswaldOstfalenThat’s complete bullshit

[@OswaldOstfalen]

@@hannovonbahrenfeld5986 Keine Ahnung. Habe das gegoogelt und als Antwort bekommen. Mr. Schlau.

[@danwhitesell2056]

Where's David Hasselhoff ?

[@tigerland4328]

He was coaching the east German dodgeball team at a tournament in Vegas lol

[@StariyLesnick]

Как же красиво маршируют солдаты ННА ГДР... музыкальное сопровождение парада тоже отличное, настоящая немецкая армия!

[@balazstotfalusi7845]

I was there as a tourist/family visitor on Summer 1990. We broke some small pieces from the wall by hammer at Brandenburger gate. As I remember there were some graves somewhere nearby. People who were killed during crossing the wall. One of guy was buried in 1989. He was almost the same age like me. I was 17 and shocked. As a hungarian we also lived in socialismus, but it wasn't so brutal as DDR. All the park in the city was full with rabbits. In every bush. They have proliferated between the double walls over the decades. After the opening the mass of rabbits overran the city.

[@wayfaerer320]

Hard to believe this is from 1989 - the video quality looks like 2024.

[@TheFrewah]

I think they used film rather than a video recorder

[@rebjorn79]

There are films from the 1920s and 1930s with absolutely EXCELLENT quality,

[@ethanbumpus9580]

Towards the end of this video when those guys were surrounded by civilians, were the civilians shouting at them in praise or in protest?

[@ВитасВ-с1п]

Как жаль, как жаль! Было государство с народом, верным идеям социализма. Иуда горбачев продал и их...

[@AlexK-oc5iv]

Причём тут Горбачёв? Немцы с обеих сторон на штурм стены пошли. Все видели что запад с его правами и соц пакетом победил. Я считаю правильно сделали

[@ВикторГончаров-ж5э]

​@@AlexK-oc5iv Это было условие президента Рейгана Горбачёву, никаких переговоров о дружбе и сотрудничестве пока не выведут войска из .восточной. Германии. Ультиматум .США.

[@AlexK-oc5iv]

@@ВикторГончаров-ж5э может и так но что то я не видел толп людей за сохранения коммунистического строя и тп. Трудно договариваться когда давят с обеих сторон

[@helenrost9572]

Он продал и нас, чего уж немцам. Утопил в крови наши войска в ГДР. И ракеты НАТО снова были нацелены на нас.

[@realityvlogs6413]

This film is so clear its like it was filmed yesterday with like a cheap cam

[@veikkakarvonen831]

It continues to bewilder me how the wall only fell in the 90s...

[@RTDoh5]

1989 was the year it fell

[@veikkakarvonen831]

@@RTDoh5 Oh well... Thanks for correcting. Must have confuaed it with the fall of the USSR in -91.

[@pupkin5102]

Потому, что всё здохло само собой, и фашизм вернулся... 😮

[@giacomosaragoni3603]

Who is that journalist speaking at 23:27

[@mazsenior]

He’s doing pre recorded takes of the report that was to air on ITN.

[@saladspinner3200]

The guys with the red ribbon trying to line them all up at around 9:30, they've got comically squeaky boots 😂😂

[@MarlinWilliams-ts5ul]

What kind of car is that at 8:12? A Yugo lol?

[@tpoetry3332]

Zhiguli or lada

[@spidyman8853]

Danke shorne I saw the Kranken Transport which means hospital transport lol DDR has vanished after 1989. I feel sorry for the people that grew up knowing nothing but this and then overnight found themselves in a unified Germany with capitalistic ideology and they had to learn from scratch. Obviously this did not impact on the youngsters, only those aged over 30+

[@valentinacolodko9399]

Больше всего я смеюсь когда немцы покупают российские мотоциклы с коляской Урал. Российские мотоциклы с коляской делают на заводе еврея. Еврей Илья Хаит продаёт немцам рассово-еврейские мотоциклы с коляской.

[@gameburn178]

Germans tell me that the old East Germany still hasn't completely integrated. On the other hand, people share more in common than they differ. I had a professor who grew up in the People's Republic of China, he's now retiring at 66 or 67. I asked him if China ever truly adopted Communism or was it just something required to get along. He thought it was a very good question, lol. I suspect that Communism never settled in completely anywhere. People think, they argue, they have ideas, they know about other ways of life. We're not all equally attached to capitalism either or, I'm afraid, to our own particular varieties of democracy.

[@Cidiuss]

Not quite true, the youngsters in pioneers organisation/Free German Youth were mostly ideologically "formed" so I can imagine they struggled as well when the whole world they've lived in dissapeared overnight.

[@ragnarulrichson778]

They actually had to work, and show merit which was a shock to many used to eastern/communist low expectations. I remember many people being upset they didn't immediately get a 100,000 mark a year job and a BMW 5 series for merely showing up to work at a low skill job.

[@okok689]

@@ragnarulrichson778 The problem was in the propaganda that the people of the socialist countries believed, blind faith and only a few wondered how the system worked and therefore a thousand people, especially the people of the USSR, were disappointed in the democracies

[@ML-wd4dc]

Wie heißt das Lied am Anfang?

[@savagehenryification]

Marsch der Elisabether.

[@ML-wd4dc]

Ganz am Anfang meine ich

[@alexxd500]

Ich mußte eine Weile suchen.Umgangsprachlich : " Unsterbliche Opfer " ein russischer Trauermarsch. Im Original : Dmitrij Schostakowitsch Sinfonie Nr. 11 g-Moll / III / In memoriam .

[@zamanium7517]

Немцы,смотрю,на порядок светлее и выше нас . Эх как прекрасны внешне северные европейцы

[@tigerland4328]

What country are you from?

[@zamanium7517]

@@tigerland4328 Россия

[@tigerland4328]

@@zamanium7517 it won't translate but I think that says Russia in Cyrillic. I'm from England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@zamanium7517]

@@tigerland4328 Old good England . Long live England

[@tigerland4328]

@@zamanium7517 🇷🇺 long live Russia

[@PinaColada-u8d]

It's amazing that ITN has such old stuff. DDR existed, of course, but in most cases it had less fame or stardom than the Nazis. It was treated as a bit minor because of those things, but I'm glad I got to see it.

[@zevsrus3234]

ГДР. Лучшая армия, Варшавского Договора.

[@Palanibert]

A little narration would make this a lot more interesting. Thank you to the commenters for providing some information.

[@grahamariss2111]

You can see how nervous the Police are, they can feel their grip on the people slipping and are scared of the consequences of being on the wrong side.

[@JH24821]

This was an era filled with hope. I can still remember those days. There was a feeling in the air that can't be put into words. This was history being written. I'll always carry it with me.

[@VolkovVelikan]

The losing side is not always the wrong side. The westerners that stormed the east behaved like savages destroying everything.

[@zymelin21]

the germans (east and west) are a civilized people. there were those who feared that every lamppost on the Stalinallee (and it is long) would have a Stasiman hanging from it. Instead now former Stasimen are running private detective agencies etc.

[@jasonhare8540]

So are the guys in green the stazi or statzi . Not sure how to spell it

[@K33ev2]

No the guys in the green are VOPO. The soldiers with red lining on their shoulder boards are Stasi

[@asimwaheed8201]

Wonder what they are doing now.

[@raymondmiller5098]

Those in uniform are probably still unemployed.

[@tribinaaux4043]

Probably most of those protestors lost their jobs after reunification due to shock therapy... karma. They wanted western capitalism, they got it

[@lonniesides9302]

Drinking beer.....

[@ragnarulrichson778]

@sleeper976 , words of a salty communist who doesn't want to work. People who lived in the DDR had a massive surge in their standard of living when unification happened. Similarly, no lives in the conditions this tosser described due to the ridiculous social programs provided by the bundesrepublik for those who don't have or wont work.

[@ragnarulrichson778]

@sleeper976 I'm an American who had the displeasure of growing up in the east due to my father's job in the US government. I went to a german grundschule and gymnasium. I saw firsthand the corrosive elements of communism. I visited dresden when it was still communist, the stadtmitte looked like the 8th airforce paid them a visit yesterday, with rubble and destroyed buildings all over. Everything in the east was always gloomy, covered in coal dust while the air constantly smelled like a diesel fire. You could never buy anything of consequence in any store due constant shortages and corruption. I've found several things to be true of people who look fondly back at communism. They are either too young to have experienced it, too soft of mind to understand the negative impacts it did and could have again on soceity or they are malignant in intention seeking to gain personally from this awful system. Which are you?

[@RobertoAlvarezGalloso]

I still remember hearing about the events in East Germany 1989 via Deutsche Welle [West] and Radio Berlín International [East] on shortwave

[@raitisfreimanis]

27:29 Sounds like they're chanting "Freiheit".

[@MausTheGerman]

They do

[@Dutch_Uncle]

It looks like the soliders in 1:00 are being roughed up by the people chanting 'Freiheit." Some of the soldiers have lost their headgear.

[@Dutch_Uncle]

Elsewhere I think I heard "Gorbi! Gorbi! Gorbi!" and "Hoelt mich raus "(Get me out). Some of thecrowd/denonstrators were singing the Internatinalle, without professional direction but with enthusiasm. Also "Geh zurueck" (go back). I also noted tkhat many of the women had the same tint of red hair.

[@duitseles9687]

"Freiheit für die Inhaftierten" - meaning for the (political) prisoners.

[@Capweb]

What happened to the wok and soup bowls from the NVA?

[@8StringKeith]

This breaks my heart to see my the majority of my country embracing communism in the year 2024. We’ve learned nothing from the 40 years of life behind the iron curtain 😞

[@hagenvontronje01]

40 minuten und kein marokkaner, sudanesen oder syrer auf den straßen.... muss ein schönes land gewesen sein.

[@franknstein546]

Für manche ganz bestimmt ;)

[@0815Catgus]

@@franknstein546 genau die DDR war bestimmt voll N@zi. Stimmt's ?

[@gayusschwulius8490]

Die DDR war einfach so ein beschissener Ort zum Leben, dass selbst Migranten aus der Dritten Welt lieber daheim geblieben sind. So kommt man natürlich auch gegen Überfremdung an, lol

[@dmitriyrusachev2034]

Будем надеяться что снова станет такой же прекрасной. Без всех этих.

[@helenrost9572]

Das ist Gut.