The East German military and security apparatus was one of the biggest in Europe, with almost half a million soldiers, police officers, intelligence officers and members of fighting brigades. However, they were not able to stop the downfall of the SED-Regime in autumn 1989. What were the reasons for that? What was the situation like for armed forces during the crisis and upheaval?
Daniel Niemetz describes the events of the Peaceful Revolution and their consequences focusing his attention on the armed forces. He offers insights into the sentiment and opinions of those men and women who swore an oath to protect the state with their weapons and lives but then did not do so in 1989.