Democratic Awakening (German: Demokratischer Aufbruch) was an East German opposition political movement. It was founded in October 1989, based on existing politically active church groups. Founding members included Wolfgang Schnur, Friedrich Schorlemmer, Rainer Eppelmann, Günter Nooke and Thomas Welz. The organisation was officially transformed into a political party on December 16/17, 1989 in Leipzig. The party convention adopted a more conservative program than some of the founding members, like Schorlemmer, were willing to bear, so they left the party. Others, like Nooke, who left some time later, resented the growing cooperation with Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of East Germany, which had formerly been a party in the socialist dominated democratic block of parties and mass organisations and had supported the totalitarian regime.
Democratic Awakening now supported rapid German reunification and formed part of the Alliance for Germany (Allianz für Deutschland) with CDU and DSU for the 1990 Volkskammer elections on March 18. Only a few days prior to the elections, party chairman Schnur had to confess having been an informer for the Ministry for State Security and resigned. Although Alliance for Germany won the elections, Alliance member Democratic Awakening only collected 0.9% of votes, amounting to four seats in Volkskammer. Eppelmann became minister for disarmament and defense in the new government and new party chairman. On August 5, 1990 Democratic Awakening ceased to exist after merging into the East German CDU, which in turn on 3 October 1990 merged into its West German counterpart, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
From February 1990 Angela Merkel served as the party's spokeswoman. After the mergers, Ms. Merkel was elected in the post-unification election as a member of parliament for the CDU, and eventually became Chancellor of Germany in 2005.
Famous quotes containing the words democratic and/or awakening:
“We have been educated to such a fine—or dull—point that we are incapable of enjoying something new, something different, until we are first told what it’s all about. We don’t trust our five senses; we rely on our critics and educators, all of whom are failures in the realm of creation. In short, the blind lead the blind. It’s the democratic way.”
—Henry Miller (1891–1980)
“Measure your health by your sympathy with morning and spring. If there is no response in you to the awakening of nature—if the prospect of an early morning walk does not banish sleep, if the warble of the first bluebird does not thrill you—know that the morning and spring of your life are past. Thus may you feel your pulse.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)