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Günter Schabowski

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The Resume

    (January 4, 1929-November 1, 2015)
    Born in Anklam, Germany
    Journalist and politician
    Editor of 'Neues Deutschland' (1978-85)
    Member of the East German Politburo
    Unofficial spokesperson for the regime of Egon Krenz
    During a press conference, announced East Germans would be allowed to travel to the West (November 9, 1989)
    Asked in a follow-up question when the new regulations would take effect, he replied 'As far as I know, immediately, without delay'

Why he might be annoying:

    Not only were the new travel regulations not intended to go into effect immediately, the government had not planned to announce the new policy until the next morning.
    He said about his inadvertent role in bringing down the Berlin Wall, 'Truth be told, I acted to try to save the GDR [East Germany].... I was still a committed Communist.'
    He was sentenced to three years in prison for his role in the deaths of East Germans who tried to escape to the West (1997).
    He inspired the German idiom 'Schabowski moment' for making a statement without realizing its consequences.

Why he might not be annoying:

    Because of his announcement, thousands of East Germans showed up at the Berlin Wall demanding to be let through until the outnumbered border guards gave in and opened up the gates.
    The Wall Street Journal called it 'probably the most historically important press conference of all time.'
    He was pardoned after a year in prison, partly because he had expressed feelings of 'guilt and shame' over the deaths.
    He said, 'Even though my role was an involuntary one, it helped bring the confrontation between East and West to an end.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 11 Votes: 36.36% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 22 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 109 Votes: 65.14% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 33 Votes: 60.61% Annoying