Auferstanden aus Ruinen: An East German Timeline

APreston

Breaking: E. German Leader Honecker Dead At 73

September 29th, 1985

East Berlin (AP)-- Longtime East German leader Erich Honecker has died, according to East German state officials.

State-run news and Radio Berlin International announced Honecker's death, allegedly from "severe exhaustion of the heart," earlier this evening, declaring a thirty-day period of mourning. It was not immediately clear who would assume leadership of the eastern European nation or when the process of confirming a new leader would take place.

Honecker, born in 1912, had been involved in the pre-war Communist Party of Germany (KPD) before coming to power as Chairman of the Council of State in 1976, effectively making him head of state. Under his leadership, the East German economy entered its highest period of growth to date, and public living conditions were reported to have improved, though international observers and Amnesty International continued to criticize the existence of the Berlin Wall and Honecker's notorious "shoot-to-kill" policy regarding defectors.

Honecker is survived by his wife Margot, also a high-ranking Party member, and one daughter.

TO: COMBERBDE

FROM: CINCUSEUR

At 1745 local time, Fernsehen DDR (DDR-FS) announced the death of Erich Honecker, Chairman of the Council of State of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The state of the GDR government is presently unknown, but suspected to be in a state of confusion. Observers have noted an increase in mobilization among GDR forces, particularly and especially in and around East Berlin. All NATO forces in Germany are ordered to DEFCON 4 until further notice. Normal TOE for Berlin Sector is still in force at this time. Any GDR agitation on the Inner-German Border (IGB) or Berlin Wall will not be tolerated. NATO forces in Germany are ordered to report any instances of warning shots, attempted incursions, suspicious movements, etc to their commanders immediately.

Stay vigilant, and pray for this to blow over.
-CINCUSEUR

TOP SECRET/NOFORN
 
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Sumeragi

Banned
Hmmm.... Why specifically Honecker? I don't seem to follow the logic of his death causing the mobilization.
 

APreston

Sumeragi said:
Hmmm.... Why specifically Honecker? I don't seem to follow the logic of his death causing the mobilization.
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I assumed the sudden demise would bring the military out a bit as a show of strength/continuity on the DDR side (especially absent a clear and immediate picture of who holds the reins) and a response in kind on the NATO side. This isn't going to become a WWIII situation though, so really kind of a nonsequitur.
 

APreston

Stoph Assumes Caretaker Position

October 4th, 1985

East Berlin (AP)-- East German Prime Minister Willi Stoph was confirmed as the new leader of East Germany today "on an interim caretaker basis," according to state media.

The Volkskammer, or Parliament of the GDR, reportedly voted to appoint Stoph "Acting Chairman of the Council of State" until the Party Congress of the ruling Socialist Unity Party (SED) early next year. In his first speech to the Volkskammer and the Central Committee, Stoph mourned the loss of former Chairman Erich Honecker, but pledged to stay the course until the Party Congress.

"Certainly, we must feel bitter regret at the passing of our friend and Comrade," Stoph said. "But it is an honor to his political life-work to continue the course laid before us, and ensure a smooth and prosperous Congress in the coming year."

Stoph, 71, reportedly rejected an offer to become permanent chairman, citing his own health issues. This was alluded to in his speech this afternoon, where he stated that "leading nations is the business of the young and the energetic," adding that the current generation must ready itself to pass the torch in due time. Speculation abounds in East Germany and elsewhere as to who the new leader might be, though Stoph has not commented publically on who, if anyone, he favors. International observers have suggested that the funeral of Erich Honecker, scheduled for next week, might provide an insight into the workings of the secretive communist state, but have stated that nothing is known for certain.

[Author's Note: if anyone has a source for period-era Neues Deutschland stories, please PM it to me. I'd like to incorporate some propaganda but don't know the ND style, so I don't know how to do it justice.]
 

APreston

tiggerfan said:
Hmmm... a DDR Gorby ?
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You'll see shortly :)

Also, as a note: I plan on having this TL consist mostly of news-style posts and military briefs as appropriate, at least for now. When things have advanced sufficiently I'll incorporate interviews and such from relevant people, but my idea is that this is going to play out for the reader exactly as it would IRL: no omniscient third-person retrospectives right away. Besides, lingering questions make things more interesting :)
 

Monty Burns

First GDR-TL I see on the board, I will definitely follow this!

I guess the main concern of Stoph shouldn't be liberalization, but the economy. It will be interesting to see whether they get reforms done without either reunification or mass migration to the West.
 

APreston

Monty Burns said:
I guess the main concern of Stoph shouldn't be liberalization, but the economy.
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Well one can tie into the other you know :). Without tipping my hand too much, there's a few nominally-important reformists in the economic end of the Party that become much more significant in the coming months. You won't hear much economy talk out of Stoph though, because he's a placeholder by choice and doesn't want to be seen as binding his successor to anything.

Also, there's probably a few of you wondering why an Eastern Bloc old-guard would deliberately term-limit himself; this will be answered in an interview post in the semi-near future.
 

artha

Can the GDR (DDR) reform enough to save the economy without attracting unwanted attention from the SU?
 

APreston

artha said:
Can the GDR (DDR) reform enough to save the economy without attracting unwanted attention from the SU?
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I think Gorbi wouldn't mind so much, if he can hang onto power himself that is. I have a pretty good outline of what I want to happen but at any given time I might decide to spice things up a bit. Stay tuned.
 

APreston

Shaby said:
I think this would be interesting TL. Hopefully, no mushrooms in it.
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I'll say right now that there will be no WWIII and no mushrooms. Every WWIII scenario under the sun has been played out entirely too much, and none of them are particularly realistic IMHO. Internal clashes in the Warsaw Pact are however possible.

Also, new post coming tonight.
 

APreston

Honecker Laid to Rest in Military Funeral Amid Demonstrations

October 11th, 1985

East Berlin (AP)-- Former East German leader Erich Honecker was buried today amid military honors in East Berlin's Zentralfriedhof Friedrichsfelde cemetery, as demonstrators vocalized a rarely-seen discontent with the status quo.

Honecker's funeral, which lasted about eight hours, was attended by all Eastern European heads of state as well as socialist leaders from Africa, South America and Asia. Notably absent was Albanian leader Ramiz Alia, who reportedly declined to attend due to "pressing engagements elsewhere."

Among the most notable attendees was Mikhail Gorbachev, recently-appointed Soviet leader, who appeared to tip his hand toward a potential favorite in the upcoming Party Congress in April. In eulogizing Honecker, he referred to the deceased leader's "profound aptitude for political perception and...the dedication with which necessary improvements were made," but said that "the path set before us is not perfect and not complete," insinuating that additional reformation was necessary. Gorbachev was also observed to carry on a conversation with Dresden party leader and longtime Honecker critic Hans Modrow, fueling speculations that he may be being groomed for the position of Chairman.

According to international sources, about 200 people were arrested as East German police broke up an anti-Honecker demonstration outside the cemetery. AP photographers were able to capture images of protestors holding signs which read "Honecker out, Stoph out" and "no more Wall" as well as holding pictures of relatives killed or imprisoned by the regime. East German media has offered no comment on this demonstration as of press time.
 
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King Henry

The DDR really is in an even worse position then the Soviets in how fast everything could fall apart, so should be interesting to see how they try and reform. Gorbachev probably appreciates the opportunity to get a reformist installed without any struggle or dissent as well.
 

APreston

King Henry said:
The DDR really is in an even worse position then the Soviets in how fast everything could fall apart, so should be interesting to see how they try and reform. Gorbachev probably appreciates the opportunity to get a reformist installed without any struggle or dissent as well.
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Without tipping my hand too much, it should be noted that Gorbi isn't even a year into his tenure yet.
 
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