Abstract
"It may be just a regional coincidence–or not. In any case, it is noteworthy that two of the most successful turning points in modern German history took place here, in the middle of Germany.1 The former German Democratic Republic, usually called "East Germany," is the area from which Martin Luther began the Reformation in the 16th century. Wittenberg, the site of Protestant turmoil in the early modern period, is only about 60 km from Leipzig, which was the city of the Monday demonstrations in the autumn of 1989. Are there historical connections and cultural references? While there is no doubt that Protestantism played a political role in both upheavals, the question is where and when the Protestant revolution began in 1989? Were there any theological and political ties to Luther? And to what extent did Protestantism then contribute to the ending of the Communist regime? From what perspective could this be described as a Protestant revolution? Is such a way of thinking too simple, and does it not quite hit the mark?"
Recommended Citation
Kunter, Katharina
(2020)
"A Protestant Revolution in Germany, 1989?,"
Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe: Vol. 40
:
Iss.
6
, Article 3.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/vol40/iss6/3