By now, a socioeconomic division has replaced the former political-ideological one. The tremendous tensions created by the differences in income, wealth, and standard of living between east and west Germany had, of course, a spill-over effect on social stability. Yet, the fact that the revolution of 1989 turned sour is not an argument against the power of nonviolence. If anything, it is an argument for its continuous application. Forms of domination manifest themselves in various subtle ways and hardly any societal system can escape them.
Nonviolent protest is one way of defending the autonomy of the people.
Greater awareness of the potentials of nonviolence is thus of utmost importance for any grass-roots fight that attempts to resist impositions from above.