Election of the former Vice President George Bush as the 41st president of the USA.
9/10 November
1988
Chancellery minister Wolfgang Schäuble holds talks in East Berlin with SED General Secretary Erich Honecker on German-German relations.
11 November
1988
Resignation of the Speaker of the Bundestag, Philipp Jenninger (CDU), after his controversial speech commemorating the "Reichskristallnacht" pogrom in 1938. He is succeeded by Rita Süssmuth (CDU).
17/18 November
1988
The Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu is awarded the Karl Marx Medal in East Berlin for his achievements. During a private conversation, Honecker criticises the Soviet rulers, especially their media policies:more
19 November
1988
The Soviet magazine "Sputnik", which comes out in the GDR, is taken from the list of postal newspaper distribution in the GDR.
Even the October issue containing an article on the Hitler-Stalin Pact of 1939 was not delivered. This is the first time a Soviet magazine has been banned in the GDR; in addition, five Soviet cinema films are taken off the programme.
RIAS report on the banning of the Soviet magazine "Sputnik" in the GDR, 19 November 1988 (in German) (Source: Archiv Deutschlandradio, Broadcast: Mittagsreport, Moderator/Reporter: Hans G. Goldbeck, Albrecht Hinze)
An official delegation from the European Parliament visits the GDR Volkskammer for the first time.
23 November
1988
Central Committee economics secretary Günter Mittag tells the small circle of people responsible for the GDR economy: "The way things are looking we’re headed for a crash. A complete write-off!"more
30 November
1988
The GDR Council of Ministers issues the first travel regulation that is not secret, but published in the GDR law gazette. The political basis of the regulation from the point of view of the Politburo is not to create any opportunities for travel going beyond previous practice and also not to allow an increase in the constant emigrations.more
