Minute of silence for victims of the uprising in Berlin in June 1953; Photo; Licensed article; Original: 2880×2160; Photographer: Unknown; Licensable; Rights: 9 Bleek/zb Media.
Minute of Silence for Victims of the Uprising in Berlin in June 1953
Description
Minute of silence for victims of the uprising in Berlin in June 1953; Photo; Licensed article; Original: 2880×2160; Photographer: Unknown; Licensable; Rights: 9 Bleek/zb Media. The photo shows a minute of silence for the victims of the uprising on June 17, 1953, in Berlin. After the violent suppression of the popular uprising by Soviet tanks and East German security forces, the killed demonstrators were commemorated in West Berlin and the Federal Republic of Germany.
Many people in the western part of the city gathered in silent sympathy—whether in public squares, at memorial sites or during an official ceremony. Such commemorative events in West Berlin took place regularly thereafter, especially on June 17, which was a national day of remembrance in the Federal Republic until reunification, known as the “Day of German Unity.”
The people’s uprising of June 17, 1953, began as a protest by construction workers against increased work norms but quickly developed into a broad movement against the communist SED regime in the GDR. The GDR government asked the Soviet Union for assistance, leading to Soviet tanks entering Berlin and other cities, and violently crushing the uprising. Hundreds of people were arrested, and many were killed.
The photo symbolizes the remembrance of the courage of the demonstrators who protested for freedom and better living conditions. It also represents the ongoing division of Germany and the Cold War that separated East and West for decades.
