Word: east
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...what a party it has been for the Germans. Through the Wall and the rest of the border fences, the flood of East Germans to the West continued all week long. Ten million East Germans -- nearly two-thirds of the population -- obtained permits to cross over. By the end of the week, upwards of 4 million had made the journey, crowding the autobahns and filling stores. Most had eyes bigger than their pocketbooks. They financed their mini-splurges with a one-time $55 in "welcome money" provided by West Germany...
...relief of politicians on both sides, no more than 15,000 East Germans elected to stay permanently in the West, joining the 225,000 who had fled before the border opened. Some -- East Germany says as many as 10,000 -- may return home. But the human hemorrhage stopped, confirming what common sense should have told East Germany's leaders years ago: people who feel free have no need to run away from home...
...East Germany's desperate gamble did not, however, save the Communist Party from the prospect of political oblivion. There seemed to be little doubt that its absolute and often brutal 40-year rule would come to an end. Despite his role in the reform initiatives and opening of the Wall, Krenz is so widely distrusted that he stands in danger of losing his top role. Restive members demanded that an emergency party conference scheduled for mid-December be elevated into a full-scale congress that will have the power to dump the entire Central Committee...
Modrow appeared to be the party's great Red hope. He was the one member of the Old Guard with a certain popularity, if not exactly a following. During ( the Honecker years, he had openly criticized the deterioration of East Germany's economy and kept up the attacks even after party bosses tried to intimidate him by sending 140 "investigators" to Dresden, where he was local party chief, to look into his "ideological errors." Modrow is now considered the only man who may be able to lead a rejuvenated and reformed party to a respectable performance at the polls...
Elections are the key to the party's -- and East Germany's -- future. They are scheduled for 1991, as required by the constitution, but the pace of change is pressing the country toward an earlier date, perhaps next spring. For the Communists, ironically, an early vote could prove a boon by keeping potential rivals from organizing effectively...