In the United States, the film actor Ronald Reagan, from 1967 to 1975 Governor of California, wins the presidential election for the Republicans over Democrat Jimmy Carter.
9-19 November
1980
"Decade of Peace" of Protestant youth in the GDR, which takes place decentrally under the motto "Make peace without weapons".
11 November
1980
Start of the second CSCE follow-up meeting in Madrid.
12 November
1980
A memorandum by the SED Politburo member Werner Krolikowski, probably meant for Soviet diplomatic channels, states that Central Committee economics secretary Günter Mittag is willing "to help out EH [Author’s note: Erich Honecker] in any dirty business. (…)more
Representatives of the "Greens", the DKP (German Communist Party), church and union groups and members of the SPD issue the "Krefeld Appeal", in which the West German government is called upon to withdraw its agreement to allow the stationing of American medium-range missiles.more
24 November
1980
A strictly confidential report by the State Security on the economic situation of the GDR concludes that decisive measures are needed to overcome the crisis.
The report finds that the investment quota is too small, while production down times have risen. It says that only trade between the GDR and the Soviet Union is profitable and that trade with the West is mostly ineffective. Nonetheless, it states, the GDR is reliant on Western imports.According to the report, a "second guidance system" for the economy has been established within the SED Central Committee alongside the government, in which questions that the Council of Ministers are to decide upon are "pre-decided". It goes on to say that the plan is manipulated so that it balances on paper, while the products were not really available.
It says that the continuity and stability of supply to the people is not guaranteed, and that the capitalist consumer ideology is having an impact on large parts of the GDR population, rousing desires that cannot be met. At the same time, the report warns, the D-mark has become established as a "second currency", which is leading not only to speculation, but also produces negative effects such as "falling work morale and discipline, a lack of willingness to work and rising white-collar crime".less
