MISSED OPPORTUNITY? PODCAST LIVE EVENTS ON 35 YEARS OF PEACEFUL REVOLUTION AND THE CONSTITUTION

Should the reunified Germany have adopted a new common constitution in 1990? This question will be discussed by the Stiftung Forum Recht and the podcast radio station detektor.fm on September 4 and 5, 2024 with former GDR Foreign Minister Markus Meckel and publicist Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk, among others.

Leipzig, August 29, 2024. 35 years ago, the peaceful mass demonstrations began in Leipzig, forcing the end of the SED dictatorship and bringing down the Berlin Wall. For the citizens of the GDR, but also for the people of West Germany, the fall of the Wall meant a departure into the unknown: Less than a year after the fall of the Wall, the GDR joined the territory of the Basic Law on October 3, 1990. A second option alongside accession would have been to formulate a joint new constitution for the reunified Germany.

The Stiftung Forum Recht and the podcast radio station detektor.fm are addressing this question on September 04 and 05 on the subject of her second Live event series of the podcast "In good shape? The Basic Law for tomorrow" in Leipzig. Presenter Rabea Schloz from the podcast radio station detektor.fm discusses with her guests and the audience on two evenings the question "35 Years of Peaceful Revolution: Was a historic opportunity to create a common constitution missed?".  

Podcast studio with audience

Guests in the public recording studio on the premises of the Stiftung Forum Recht in Leipzig's city center include Markus Meckel. The theologian has been involved in the opposition in the GDR since the 1970s, was a member of the Central Round Table and, from 1990, the first freely elected Foreign Minister of the GDR. After reunification, Meckel was a member of the German Bundestag for the SPD until 2009. In this interview, Markus Meckel provides insights into the decision-making process at the time and explains the ideas that were being discussed in 1990 for a new constitution for a reunified Germany.

Rabea Schloz also discusses the topic with the historian and journalist Ilko-Sascha Kowalczukwho in his current Book "Freedom Shock" (C.H.Beck, published on 21.08.2024) draws a connection between the experiences of the reunification years and the current political situation in the East German federal states. 

The two legal scholars Prof. Dr. Alexander ThieleProfessor of Public Law, and Prof. Dr. Maria WersigProfessor of Legal Foundations of Social Work and former President of the German Association of Women Lawyers, will also talk about the legal implications of the entry into force of the Basic Law for the former GDR and discuss the extent to which it was the best solution to adopt the Basic Law in 1990 instead of writing a new common constitution.

The audience is invited to take part in the discussions: With questions, impressions - but also through interactive elements such as surveys. The discussions can then be continued in a relaxed atmosphere after the recordings. Admission is free of charge.

"In good shape?"

Together with the podcast radio station detektor.fm from Leipzig, the Stiftung Forum Recht 2024 is producing the joint podcast project "In good shape? The Basic Law for tomorrow". In the year of the 75th anniversary of the Basic Law, the podcast asks in ten episodes how fit the Basic Law is for the future. The podcast episodes are published every two weeks wherever podcasts are available.