On one side were suits and ties, on the other bandanas, hand-knitted wool sweaters and full beards. Two worlds collided on the thick carpets of the conference hall of Schönhausen Palace at the end of 1989. The state party SED, which has so far ruled without restrictions, and the previously subordinated block parties entered conversations with new political groups.
The civil rights group New Forum and the GDR’s SPD had been established in September and October 1989, when ever larger protests had questioned the power of the SED. The opponents of the regime now dared to appear in public and to organise themselves. On November 9, 1989, the Wall finally fell. The GDR now lost people at an even greater pace, and the state party lost a majority of its members. But the secret police, the Stasi, which monitored the people in the GDR, still operated. The government continued to be headed by a representative of the SED. The regime was damaged but not yet defeated. How were things supposed to continue?
The protests brought the opposition groups a lot of attention. They encouraged sitting down with the old leaders at so-called Round Tables all across the country. Joint agreements and decisions should prevent violence and prepare for democratic elections. Of particular importance was the central Round Table in East Berlin which claimed to control the GDR government. 17 representatives each of the opposition and the government parties convened on December 7, 1989, initially in the church hall of the Bonhoeffer-Haus in Berlin-Mitte, where three pastors moderated the discussions. Later the committee moved to Schloss Schönhausen in Berlin-Pankow, which provided more room for the many advisors and journalists. Television and radio stations in the GDR broadcast the Round Table discussions live. "Everything was public. And that was a new experience!" a participant recalled.
In this unclear situation, the Round Table could only recommend, not decide. In addition, it was supposed to control a government that did not want to be controlled. Then, in January of 1990, many thousands demanded the immediate dissolution of the secret police. The Round Table demanded the same, but the government delayed the implementation and tried to keep the new forces out of power. Under the pressure of the protests, however, it finally gave in reluctantly. Representatives of the opposition joined the government as ministers without portfolio, and the election planned in May was brought forward to March 18, 1990. The participant Matthias Platzeck, at the time member of the Green League: "To me, the Round Table was an instrument to do what was possible, to at least bundle a change that actually cannot not be shaped at all and to continuously say 'please do this without violence'".
With the first free and secret election of a new GDR parliament the transition to democracy was finally achieved, and the work of the Round Table ended. The election results showed a clear majority for the proponents of a quick German reunification. October 3, 1990, became the Day of German Unity.
