Page "Erich Honecker" Paragraph 14

Honecker was back in charge by September, and immediately had to deal with a new refugee problem.

Several thousand East Germans tried to go to West Germany by way of Czechoslovakia, only to have that government bar them from passing.

Several thousand of them headed straight for the West German embassy in Prague and demanded safe passage to West Germany.

With some reluctance, Honecker allowed them to go — but forced them to go back through East Germany on sealed trains and stripped them of their East German citizenship.

Several members of the SED Politbüro realized this was a serious blunder and made plans to get rid of him.

Honecker got another rude shock at the GDR's 40th anniversary gala in September, when several hundred members of the Free German Youth — the SED's supposed future vanguard — began chanting, " Gorby, help us!

Gorby, save us!