Chapter Unification in Freedom and Democracy: From the peaceful revolution in the communist east to a united Germany

The reunification of the two German states, the free and democratic in the West and the former communist in the East, in 1990 is a remarkable achievement in history, one of civil courage and political wisdom. Neither the reunification of Germany nor the fall of the Berlin Wall would have been possible without the Peaceful Revolution in the East. Consul General Gill’s presentation will highlight the process towards Germany’s unity and will talk about the huge progress that has been made since the reunification of Germany 30 years ago, but also underscore that the work is not yet finished. Many of the stories shared during this presentation have been preserved as part of an oral history project at the Goethe- Institut New York.

Born in 1966, German Consul General David Gill grew up in a protestant minister’s family in Herrnhut, Saxony, in former East Germany. He was initially denied a higher education by the communist regime and instead trained and worked as a plumber. After joining a preparatory protestant school and later the theological seminary of the Protestant Church in Berlin-Brandenburg.  In 1989, Consul General Gill witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall and participated in the peaceful revolution which facilitated the reunification of eastern and western Germany. This year we celebrate the 30th anniversary of German Unity.