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On 17th June 1953 the young communist regime of the German Democratic Republic - East Germany - is shaken for the first time from within. Popular discontent provoked by widespread shortages, a program of forced collectivization and increased quotas in factories finds expression in a wave of strikes and mass protests. Calls for freedom, democracy and reunification of the country swiftly become deafening. In Moscow the alarm bells start ringing - it looks as though the communist government in East Berlin is on the brink of collapse. The Soviet Union is forced to act... and it does, sending tanks into the streets of East Berlin and brutally suppressing the uprising.

After the death of Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev had introduced a phase of relatively good relations with the West, making an effort to strike a moderate tone in Cold War disputes. Moscow even criticized Walter Ulbricht, head of the governing SED - the East German Communist Party - for the hard line he adopted in accelerating socialist programs. His days seemed numbered. The East German government attempted to close the huge budget deficit by imposing 10% increases in work quotas, and this proved the last straw for the workers. Encouraged by the signals of a more relaxed approach from Moscow, 300,000 people went out into the streets at over 270 places throughout East Germany. A general strike was organized, and the government was presented with a staggering catalogue of demands: the protestors wanted free elections, the resignation of the government, the abolition of the border between East and West Germany, freedom for all political prisoners and the reunification of the country.

But when Moscow reacts with excessive use of force, the West fails to step in - paralyzed by the fear that World War Three might be the consequence. "Do nothing that could provoke the Soviets," is the directive from Washington. The uprising is a failure, and the political aims of the people are not achieved. But there was never a clearer expression of discontent on the part of the East German people with the conditions they were forced to accept. And although the East German government did everything it could to erase the memory of the revolt in the years to follow, there can be little doubt today that the uprising would have been a success if the Soviet tanks had not been sent in - and the reunification of Germany would in all likelihood have taken place far earlier than it eventually did.

Using a docu-drama style, a fascinating collage of the dramatic events has been assembled for this production. Authentic archive material has been augmented by accounts of contemporary witnesses from both parts of the then-divided Germany, from the USA and from Russia. High-quality dramatic scenes portray the situation in the crucial locations: the Kremlin, the East Berlin Politburo, the West German Chancellor's office in Bonn, the White House in Washington, the West Berlin town hall and the editorial offices of RIAS, the West Berlin radio station. And naturally the dramatic situation in the factories and on the streets of East Germany are also presented.