Alex Brown is a doctoral researcher at the University of Birmingham (UK) specializing in the history of opposition in the GDR.
The opening of the Berlin Wall on this day in 1989 brought the downfall of the East German regime and the appointment of reformer Hans Modrow as head of government. Thirty years on, he speaks to Jacobin about his experiences on that day and in power, and how German reunification went wrong.
Composer Hanns Eisler was a lifelong communist and self-described Jacobin. His music provided the soundtrack for both the tragedies and triumphs of German antifascism.