On June 17 1953 there were popular uprisings across the former GDR. Magdeburg, Halle, Görlitz, Leipzig. In Leipzig the crowds tried to dismantle the Stalin statue.
In Halle the crowds overran the prison.
In the afternoon the frist tanks of the Soviet Army appeared on the streets of Halle.
Nearby Jena the Soviet Army was on summer manoeuvre and in mid-afternoon tanks were negotiating the narrow streets of Jena.
The biggest demonstrations took place in East Berlin.
Early on June 18 all was quiet. Soviet tanks had saved the day for the SED regime.
Radio and television announced that the putsch was the result of provocation from West Berlin and a small number of dissidents and hooligans.
That evening on GDR television Soviet soldiers were seen dancing with 'happy' East Germans.
In the following weeks 'investigtions' and show trials took place. People received long jail sentences. All done in secret. No question of due proceess. Human rights forgotten. And done in the name of the people.
Next time you are in Berlin take a walk down Straße der 17 Juni.
Trickery.
It took another 36 years to open the windows, knock down the wall and rid the people of nasty leaders.
A parable for our time.
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