From the Peaceful Revolution to German Unification: Reflecting on 30 Years since the Fall of the Berlin Wall

Markus Meckel is a German politician and former Protestant pastor who was a prominent critic of the East German (GDR) regime. He grew up in the GDR and became a member of the opposition in the 1970s. In 1989, he was a co-founder of the Social Democratic party in the GDR and became its deputy chairman. After the first free democratic elections in the GDR, he served as Foreign Minister and negotiated German unification in the framework of the 2+4 talks, which involved the two Germanies and the four allied powers. He served as a member of the Bundestag from 1900 to 2009.