Imagine standing right here—at Potsdamer Platz. It is June 17, 1953. Crowds stream past you—workers carrying banners, students, mothers with children. They shout, whistle, and demand: “Down with the government!” and “We want free elections!”
What began as a protest against increased work quotas has, in just a few days, erupted into a wildfire. The economy is in ruins, food supplies are catastrophic, and the people have had enough. Just the day before, tens of thousands marched along Stalinallee, calling for a general strike today and for the overthrow of the government.
Here, at Potsdamer Platz, fury boils over. People storm police stations, government ministries, and offices of the State Security Service. From the Brandenburg Gate, they pull down the red flag—an open affront to the SED regime.
[Background: the dull clatter of tank treads, drawing closer]
But in the afternoon, Soviet tanks roll in. The protesters do not back down—until the shots ring out. By that very evening, the uprising has been bloodily crushed. Up to 65 people die—some of them executed. 13,000 are arrested.
The regime attempts to quell the discontent with wage increases and additional food supplies—yet June 17 remains an open wound in the history of the GDR.
For the people in the West, this day becomes a day of remembrance. And 60 years later—in 2013—this site receives its current name: “Square of the People’s Uprising of 1953.” Look down—the image embedded in the pavement serves as a reminder that, right here, the courage of millions
once confronted the violence of a dictatorship. Image 1: Own work
Image 2: Own work
Image 3: Own work
Image 4: By Bundesarchiv, B 285 Bild-14676 / Author unknown / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5338538
Image 5: By Bundesarchiv, B 145 Bild-F005191-0040 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5448844
