Members of the "Group of 20" with Hans Modrow in Dresden (October/November 1989) Hans Modrow (middle), first secretary of the SED district leadership in Dresden, Wolfgang Berghofer, lord mayor of Dresden (left, next to Modrow), and members of the oppositional “Group of 20” participate in a "Monday demonstration" in Dresden in October/November 1989. One of their banners reads: “Surgery instead of cosmetics” – a clear demand for the fundamental reform of the East German political system rather than the superficial course correction promised by Egon Krenz. Starting in early October, Dresdeners were called to participate in "Monday demonstrations" like those taking place in Leipzig. The very beginning of this movement saw the formation of the oppositional “Group of 20,” which was supposed to negotiate with the responsible political authorities in Dresden. On November 13, the GDR Volkskammer [People's Parliament] elected Modrow as the new chairman of the Council of Ministers of the GDR. In the period that followed, he tried to preserve the GDR's political independence. Photo: Ulrich Hässler.