Two generations of the GDR: East-East debate between Egon Krenz and Holger Friedrich

These two men couldn't be more different; in the GDR, they were at odds—not personally, but systematically: Egon Krenz , born in 1937, and Holger Friedrich , born in 1966. One stood at the helm of an apparatus that had to be destroyed so that the other could pursue his own path in life. One was a Politburo member and Central Committee Secretary for Security Affairs, the other a young, angry man serving in the East German People's Army ( NVA) rocket troops, who resented the conditions for which Krenz was partly responsible.

Yet, despite all their obvious differences and despite opposing ideas about, let's say Marxist, relations of production and ownership of the means of production, both have more in common than one might initially assume.

“Loss and Expectation”: Fateful Year 1989

Both were eager for a career, for the power to shape things, were and are strong-willed and assertive, and successful under the circumstances of their respective times – the anti-capitalist as well as the capitalist. Each has his own ideas about how the world could be made better. They clearly agree on one thing: Without peace, everything is nothing.

This premise makes for a stimulating discussion when Egon Krenz, former General Secretary of the SED and Chairman of the State Council of the GDR, and Holger Friedrich, entrepreneur and publisher of the Berliner Zeitung, take the stage on Monday evening at the Babylon cinema on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, just around the corner from the Berliner Verlag building. The presentation will be of the third volume of Krenz's memoirs, "Loss and Expectation. Memories." It will focus on the fateful year of 1989 and its consequences.

Egon Krenz himself says it was the most difficult part of the trilogy. The volume, published on Monday, contains an examination of the circumstances and consequences of the Wende (Wende) – the term, incidentally, is his own. He chose it in the fall of 1989 to describe what would later be called the peaceful revolution . Krenz's career ended abruptly with his resignation from the highest offices available in the GDR on December 3, followed by a trial and imprisonment.

Holger Friedrich's career began when Krenz's ended. It was able to take off thanks in part to Krenz, as Silke and Holger Friedrich explicitly wrote in their "Berlin Manifesto," published in the Berliner Zeitung on November 8, 2019: He had the courage not to give "any order to use violence" in the fall of 1989—"well aware that he was thereby jeopardizing his high social standing and also had to consider the possible loss of his own life in his decision."

According to the then new publishers, the only East Germans in the all-German media landscape, Egon Krenz "made self-determined, positive life paths possible for millions of people with this personal decision, which, among other things, allows us to publish this article in this newspaper. We are grateful to him for that." What was achieved 30 years ago could be continued "if we agree on essentials."

Five years ago, those kind words triggered a storm of protest. Thank Krenz? The reactions sometimes sounded as if the gates of hell had been opened. This excitement has subsided. Krenz speaks out about war and peace, about Russia, about the AfD ("No humiliation justifies their election"), without being tarred and feathered. When he published a guest article ("Yes, Liberation") in the Berliner Zeitung on March 18, 2025, the editorial board received a striking number of thoughtful letters from the West. The men and women wrote: Interesting, we don't read that kind of thing in our newspapers.

For years, the West had treated Krenz as Erich Honecker 's Crown Prince, and for a long time, he was indeed one of his closest and most loyal comrades. This can be read in the first two parts of Egon Krenz's memoirs, which end with the year 1988. Now, it's 1989. This includes Krenz's view of the local elections of May 7, 1989, and his justification for announcing a surreal election result that evening as election supervisor.

But this also includes his contribution to ensuring that the old order ended peacefully. The way those involved managed this in the fall of 1989 is admired worldwide: On November 3, Krenz issued the order: "The use of firearms in connection with possible demonstrations is prohibited." Together with Fritz Streletz , he asked his Soviet "friends" to forgo the routine autumn maneuvers in light of the Monday demonstrations, especially in Leipzig. The tanks remained in the barracks.

On Sunday, Krenz and Friedrich sit on the stage of the Babylon cinema and talk to each other – about a book, their lives, the new world. One can assume that things aren't going to be pleasant. Yes, of course, they talk to each other, with mutual respect, and behave decently.