1989: year of the people.15 January, Prague: 4,000 demonstrate in Wenceslas Square Wenceslas Square (Czech: Václavské náměstí ) is one of the main city squares and the centre of the business and cultural communities in the New Town of Prague, Czech Republic. to commemorate Jan Palach Jan Palach (August 11, 1948 – January 19, 1969) was a Czech student who committed suicide by self-immolation as a political protest. Death The Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968 was designed to crush the liberalising reforms of Alexander , who burnt himself alive in protest against the Warsaw Pact Warsaw Pact or Warsaw Treaty Organization Military alliance of the Soviet Union, Albania (until 1968), Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania, formed in 1955 in response to West Germany's entry into NATO. invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. 6 February, Poland: Round-table talks begin between the government, Solidarity and the Church. 11 February, Hungary: Central Committee of the Communist Party Central Committee of the Communist Party can refer to:
Unlike a single-party system (or a non-partisan democracy), it encourages the general constituency to form multiple distinct, . 9 March, Vilnius: 15,000 attend rally for Lithuanian independence. 22 March, Hungary: Eight opposition groups meet to work out a common platform for negotiations with the Communist Party Communist party, in China Communist party, in China, ruling party of the world's most populous nation since 1949 and most important Communist party in the world since the disintegration of the USSR in 1991. . 26 March, Soviet Union: First ever contested elections in the Soviet Union, for new 2,250-member Congress of People's Deputies. A third of the regional Communist Party leaders fail to win seats. 5 April, Poland: Round-table talks conclude with legalization LEGALIZATION. The act of making lawful. 2. By legalization, is also understood the act by which a judge or competent officer authenticates a record, or other matter, in order that the same may be lawfully read in evidence. Vide Authentication. of Solidarity and agreement on free elections in June. 4 June, Poland: Solidarity wins 99 per cent of seats in Senate and all available seats in the Sejm (lower house), although the round-table agreement guarantees the communists a two-thirds majority. Negotiations begin about forming a government. 4 June, Beijing: Troops open fire on demonstrators in Tiananmen Square Tiananmen Square, large public square in Beijing, China, on the southern edge of the Inner or Tatar City. The square, named for its Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tiananmen), contains the monument to the heroes of the revolution, the Great Hall of the People, the museum of . 13 June, Hungary: Round-table talks between government and opposition begin. 22 August, Lithuania: Parliamentary commission declares the 1940 annexation of the country by the Soviet Union illegal. 23 August, Baltic States Baltic states, the countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, bordering on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. Formed in 1918, they remained independent republics until their involuntary incorporation in 1940 into the USSR. They regained their independence in Sept. : Pro-independence demonstrators in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania form a 540-km human chain from Tallinn to Vilnius. 24 August, Poland: Tadeusz Mazowiecki Tadeusz Mazowiecki (IPA: [ta'dɛuʃ mazɔ'vʲɛʦkʲi], born April 18, 1927 in Płock) is a Polish author, journalist, social worker and politician, formerly one of the leaders of the Solidarity of Solidarity is appointed prime minister. 11 September, Hungary: The government allows East German refugees to cross the border into Austria. 12 September, Poland: Solidarity gets most of the posts in the new government, although communists retain key Interior and Defence ministries. 18 September, Hungary: Round-table talks conclude with agreement on free elections in March 1990. 27 September, Slovenia: Declares independence from Yugoslavia, with free elections in April. 30 September, East Germany East Germany: see Germany. : Leadership allows refugees camped in the West German Embassy in Prague to travel by train via East Germany to the West. 4 October, Dresden: Police use force to prevent people boarding the sealed train carrying refugees from Prague to the West. 7 October, Hungary: Communist Party dissolves itself and reforms as the Hungarian Socialist Party The Hungarian Socialist Party (Hungarian: Magyar Szocialista Párt, MSZP) is a Social Democratic party with a strong pro-market agenda in Hungary. It is the partial successor of the communist Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party (or MSZMP), which ruled Hungary between 1956 . Membership drops to 45,000 by the end of November, compared to over 800,000 a year before. 9 October, Leipzig: 50,000 demonstrate, sparking off demonstrations across East Germany. 18 October, East Germany: Hard-line East German leader Erich Honecker Erich Honecker (25 August 1912 – 29 May 1994) was an East German Communist politician who led the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1971 until 1989. ousted by Communist Party after reportedly ordering security forces to fire on demonstrators. Replaced by security chief, Egon Krenz. 23 October, Leipzig: Hundreds of thousands demonstrate for democratic reform. 25 October, Soviet Union: Gorbachev announces the `Sinatra Doctrine': the Soviet Union will allow other Warsaw Pact countries to `do it their way'. 4 November, Bulgaria: Eco-glasnost movement organizes a protest calling for democratic reform. 9 November, East Berlin: Krenz announces that citizens who apply will be given permission to travel to the West. Rumours circulate that the Berlin Wall will be opened and thousands gather at its checkpoints: by midnight it is open. East German leadership announces radical reforms. 10 November, East Berlin: Hundreds of thousands cross into West. 10 November, Bulgaria: Communist leader Todor Zhivkov is replaced by former Foreign Minister Peter Mladenov, who agrees to round-table discussions and free elections. 17 November, Prague: Hundreds injured when riot police break up a student demonstration. 19 November, Prague: Opposition groups form Civic Forum led by dissident playwright Vaclav Havel. They call for a two-hour general strike on 27 November. 20 November, Prague: Havel addresses 200,000 demonstrators in Wenceslas Square. 24 November, Prague: Central Committee of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party resigns. Huge crowds celebrate. 25 November, Prague: New Central Committee is announced which includes many hard-liners. Civic Forum declares the planned general strike to be a `symbolic referendum' on support for the regime. 27 November, Czechoslovakia: Country comes to a standstill as majority observe general strike. 29 November, Prague: Parliament introduces constitutional change ending the domination by the Communist Party and announces a commission to investigate police actions on 17 November. 6 December, East Germany: Krenz is replaced by Manfred Gerlach, leader of the Liberal Democrats. 16-17 December, Timisoara, Romania: Seventy-three killed when security forces fire on protesters. 20 December, Timisoara: 50,000 protest against government violence. Most troops refuse orders to fire. 21-22 December, Bucharest: Mass rally called by Romanian leader Nicolae Ceausescu turns against him. Ceausescu flees in his private helicopter. 23 December, Romania: National Salvation Front The National Salvation Front (or even better translated National Rescue Front, in Romanian Frontul Salvării Naţionale, FSN) was the governing body of Romania in the first weeks after the Romanian Revolution of 1989, subsequently turned into a political is formed. Fighting leads to over 1,000 deaths in next few days. 25 December, Bucharest: Ceausescu is arrested, tried and executed along with his wife and son. |
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