If I were to ask you what鈥檚 significant about the date 9 November 1989, you鈥檇 probably correctly retort that it鈥檚 the day the came down. But 9 November is an important date in Germany for historic events other than that symbolic day of reunification. Commonly known as 鈥楾he Day of Fate鈥 (or in German, 鈥淪chicksalstag鈥) it鈥檚 a day that marks several defining events in Germany that has undoubtedly influenced its trajectory. We wanted to highlight these events with curated Lightboxes so that you can tell the story too.
1848: The execution of Robert Blum (and the failure of the March Revolution)
was a German democratic politician who fought for a unified Germany that would be liberal and a republic. A true egalitarian who was well ahead of his time, Blum was a critic of anti-Semitism and called for gender equality. After joining revolutionary fighters in Vienna, Blum was arrested on 4 November where he was subsequently condemned to death by a military tribunal. Allegedly, his last words were 鈥淚ch sterbe f眉r die Freiheit鈥 (鈥淚 die for freedom鈥) and his death was significant as it subdued democratic risings in Germany in the 1840s and therefore led to the failure of the .
1918: November Revolution
As we know, 9 November wasn鈥檛 the exact date that the First World War ended but 9 November was a strong signifier that its end was imminent. The day marks the abdication of , the last German monarch, and therefore the end of World War I. What followed is known as the November Revolution as a push for a new republic was effected which became to be known as the and the . Hitler and his allies would later use this revolution to curry support for the Nazi party.
1923: Beer Hall Putsch (Hitler-Ludendorff Coup)
In response to the Weimar Republic and the November Revolution of 1918, Adolf Hitler and Erich Ludendorff, along with their supporters, marched to Munich in a bid to take control of the city. The attempt was quelled as Hitler was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison. Subsequently, the Nazi Party was banned. But what鈥檚 all of this got to do with a beer hall? Firstly, Hitler and his allies often used beer halls to garner political support and rally his people. Secondly, the march culminated in taking over the (a large beer hall where the Bavarian Prime Minister was holding a meeting) to depose the government. Gunfire started going off but it wasn鈥檛 long before the authorities arrested Hitler and his men.
1938: Night of Broken Glass (Kristallnacht)
As soon as Hitler’s Nazi party came to power in 1933, a series of ethnic cleansing policies were enacted. Five years on, those policies culminated in one of the darkest nights of the 20th century – the Kristallnacht. That night, as well as German citizens swept across the nation to carry out violent attacks on synagogues, Jewish homes and Jewish-owned businesses. Over 250 synagogues were destroyed and nearly 100 Jews killed according to official state statistics (i.e. the real numbers are probably much more horrifying). The name (literally meaning Crystal Night) was given due to the abundance of broken glass that lined German streets up and down the country. News of the event shook the world and sparked international outrage. Depressingly, it took an event such as this before the rest of the world decided to take action.
1989: The fall of Berlin Wall
And finally, we have the momentous day that the Berlin Wall came down 鈥 although demolition officially started in 1990 and it took two years to complete. What initiated it was caused by bit of a faux pas when East German government spokesman announced that there would be more relaxed border regulations that would come into effect 鈥渁b sofort鈥 (immediately). Subsequently, thousands of East Berliners dashed to the wall before forcing their way through checkpoints. Since the wall was erected in 1961, more than 100 people had died trying to escape East Germany. On 9 November 1989, escape was no longer necessary as Germans from both sides of the wall rejoiced in their newfound unity.