As all eyes are on Germany today for the Berlin Wall celebrations, here is a timeline of events of the collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe, 20 years ago, which starts in Poland.1989June 4 - Poland holds partially free and democratic elections to both lower and upper houses of parliament; Solidarity candidates win landslide.
Jun 30 - General Wojciech Jaruzelski announces he will not run for presidency.
Jul 9 - President George Bush begins visit to Poland.
Jul 12 - President Bush visits Hungary, where he holds talks with officials and makes speech at Karl Marx University in Budapest.
August - Tens of thousands of East Germans begin to enter West German embassies in East Berlin, Czechoslovakia and Hungary seeking asylum.
Aug 19 - Members of Hungary's opposition organize a picnic at the border with Austria demanding greater political freedom. Some 600 East Germans are among the estimated 10,000 participants, taking advantage of the trip to escape to Austria.
Aug. 24 - Poland appoints Tadeusz Mazowiecki prime minister, becoming the first country in the Soviet bloc to name a non-communist head of government since WW II.
Sep 10 - Hungary gives permission for thousands of East German refugees and visitors to emigrate to West Germany.
Sept. 11 - Exodus of East German refugees from Hungary to West Germany begins via Austria.
Oct 3 - In an attempt to stem the flow of refugees to the West, East Germany suspends unrestricted travel to Czechoslovakia.
Oct. 7 - Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev joins in festivities in East Berlin marking the 40th anniversary of East Germany,; thousands of refugees migrated to the West; Hungary's Communist Party renounces Marxism in favour of democratic socialism during a party congress in Budapest.
Oct 23 - Hungary proclaims itself a republic and an end of communist rule.
Oct 29 - At least 20,000 East Berliners observe a minute’s silence for those killed while attempting to cross the Berlin Wall.
Nov. 9 - The Berlin Wall falls. The Politburo resigns and East Germany opens its borders, allowing citizens to travel freely to the West. Germans dance on top of the Berlin Wall. Over its 28-year history at least 136 people were killed trying to cross into West Berlin, according to official figures.
Nov 10 - In Bulgaria, Communist ruler Todor Zhivkov is thrown out of office after a 35-year dictatorship.
Nov 11 - In a telephone conversation with West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, new East German leader, the anti-reform Egon Krenz, rules out any possibility of German reunification.
Nov. 17 - In Prague, Czechoslovakia, a huge protest begins demanding democratic reforms. Riot police begin beating demonstrators. The six-week Velvet Revolution begins.
Nov 20 - More than 200,000 people rally peacefully in Prague demanding democratic reforms and resignation of Communist Party leader Milos Jakes.
Nov 26 - In a national referendum, voters decide that Hungary's next president will be chosen by parliament, following free elections.
Nov 29 - The Czechs end the Communist party's 40-year rule.
Dec 3 - The East German SED Politburo resigned. 3 days later Communist leader Egon Krenz stepped down as Chairman of the Council of State.
Dec 5 - East Germany's former leaders, including ousted Communist Party chief Erich Honecker, were placed under house arrest.
Dec. 17 - Romanian police fire at protesters during large demonstrations. The final communist regime in the region begins to topple.
Dec 21 - Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu delivers what turns out to be his final public speech. The Communist ruler is visibly stunned as the crowd begins booing him. Ceausescu flees from power and is eventually executed by firing squad on Christmas Day.
Dec. 29 - Communist rule ends in Czechoslovakia; dissident Vaclav Havel is elected president.
1990Oct. 3 - Germany is reunited.
Dec. 9 - After Poland’s first ever presidential election - before WW II the president was chosen by parliament - Lech Walesa is chosen as head of state, beating, among others, Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz and businessman Stanislaw Tyminski.
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related stories
What Poles know about the fall of the Wall, thenews.pl, Nov 8