Today is the 9th of November, also known as the 'Schicksaltag' in Germany - the 'Day of Fate'. A number of tremendous events have rocked the country on this date over the last century. /1
On the 9th of November, 1918, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany abdicated, as revolution swept across Germany. Centuries of imperial might came to an end, almost overnight, it felt. /2 
On November 9th, in fractured & divided Weimar Republic Bavaria, the nascent Nazi party were attempted to seize control of a meeting at a beer hall by force, imprisoning leading figures and launching a coup.
Hitler's subsequent imprisonment energized & focused him. /2
Hitler's subsequent imprisonment energized & focused him. /2
On November 9th 1938, under the consent of the Nazi regime, SA stormtroopers engaged in a systematic, nationwide pogrom, burning synagogues, murdering and beating Jews.
Following the November-Pogrom, removal to concentration camps of Jews began. /3
Following the November-Pogrom, removal to concentration camps of Jews began. /3
November 9th, 1989 was the night that checkpoints along the Berlin Wall were opened - nobody knows whether by accident or explicit order.
The celebrations that night, and the destruction of the wall, led to the fall of the wall across Germany, and its eventual reunification. /4
The celebrations that night, and the destruction of the wall, led to the fall of the wall across Germany, and its eventual reunification. /4
November 9th is always a day of reflection across the Germany. It's a day to commemorate the dead lost to the horrors of fascism, & the scars left by a country divided.
Most of all, it's a day to remember our basic humanity, & the first clause of the German constitution. /FIN
Most of all, it's a day to remember our basic humanity, & the first clause of the German constitution. /FIN
