Dr. Martin Stief (Federal Archive, Stasi Records Archive) will critically discuss whether May 7, 1989 actually heralded the later autumn revolution, also with regard to the Stasi records and the former district of Schwerin.
As so often in previous years, the local elections on May 7, 1989 were supposed to be a political confirmation in the GDR with clear results for the Socialist Unity Party (SED). But everything turned out differently: uncomfortable slogans appeared in the run-up to the election ("May 7: Should the chaos continue?"), citizens demonstratively used the polling booth on election day, opposition members controlled the vote count and the official final result triggered a flood of protests. The election ritual was intended to legitimize SED rule and ended up having the opposite effect. This special election is the subject of a lecture at the Federal Archives - Stasi Records Archive in Schwerin. Dr. Martin Stief (Bundesarchiv, Stasi Records Archive) will critically discuss whether 7 May 1989 actually heralded the later autumn revolution, also with regard to the Stasi records and the former district of Schwerin.
