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The years 1973-1989: "We had it in our hands!" Egon Krenz - Part II of the memoirs of the former head of state of the GDR - The second volume of the memoirs of the former head of state of the GDR leads directly into the inner circle of the state leadership and into the phase that was intended to ensure peaceful coexistence through change through rapprochement. Krenz focuses on the period after the diplomatic recognition of the GDR, on the new Eastern policy of the SPD government and the constantly fluctuating relationship with Moscow. He reports on official events and provides a clear view of many background details that are still not clear. Now closely watched by the West as "Honecker's crown prince", he is involved in political decision-making processes and at the same time a sensitive observer of the actors in East and West, and ultimately also of the ambivalent developments that Gorbachev's perestroika triggers in the Soviet Union and the brother states. The head of state, who took office to initiate a change and had to resign after 50 days, reports on what happened behind the scenes between Berlin, Bonn and Moscow in light of the events of 1989. Krenz's report is rich in facts and self-critical, and reflects on the events in a differentiated manner based on today's level of knowledge, without relativizing his ideas of a better society.