Interview with Rolf Nikel, Germanys Ambassador to Poland
The revolutions in Eastern Europe paved the way for the collapse of communism in East Germany, otherwise known as the DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik), in 1990. One of the most important government officials in West Germany at the time was Rolf Nikel. Today, he serves as unified Germany's Ambassador to Poland.EurActiv Poland reports.
Rolf Nikel is Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Poland. He was interviewed by Editor-in-Chief & Managing Director, EurActiv Poland Karolina Zbytniewska.
What would have happened if the Berlin Wall hadnt fallen down?
At that time, I was working in Chancellors Helmut Kohls office, where I was responsible for Polish-German relations. We were amazed how the situation on the Eastern side of Iron Curtain evolved thanks to people taking their fate into their own hands. It was just incredible.
The situation as of 1989 made it inevitable in the context of the pro-democratic revolution that set off in the summer of that year in Poland with the first semi-democratic elections and first non-communist PM Tadeusz Mazowiecki (and) developments in Hungary and Czechoslovakia. History was happening in front of our eyes.
The Berlin Wall had to fall down. It was inevitable. It was only (a) question (of) when, under which circumstances, and whether it would be stable or not.
Seeing this peaceful uprising made you predict that Germany might be the next in line.
Yes, but we couldnt predict the Soviets reaction. After coming to power in 1985, it took Mikhail Gorbachev some time to consolidate his authority. And no one really knew how he might have reacted to the changes that were occurring. You have to keep in mind that in the GDR, there were 380,000 Soviet soldiers and that the Soviet Union (SU) had a track record of military intervention crashing down on anti-communist demonstrations as in 1953, 1956, 1968 etc.
In 1989, Gorbachev made the right decision not to intervene which allowed the whole democratic processes in Eastern Europe to happen peacefully. But the fall of the Berlin Wall and, more generally, of the Iron Curtain was a natural consequence of what began in Poland. So Germany is very much indebted to the liberation movement in Poland and other countries, but especially to Poland, which was very much advanced in the democratic process, thanks to Solidarno.
Why did Gorbachev decide not to intervene?
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Interview with Rolf Nikel, Germanys Ambassador to Poland