November 10, 1989 - Todor Zhivkov is ousted in a party coup in Bulgaria. A few days later, his successor, Petar Mladenov, announces an effective end of the totalitarian regime.
November 17, 1989 - Riot police crack down on a peaceful student protest in Prague, kicking off the Velvet Revolution.
November 24, 1989 - Czechoslovak Communist Party leadership resigns.
December 1, 1989 - The East German parliament removes the right of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) to rule exclusively.
December 2, 1989 - Austria lifts visa restriction for Czechoslovakian citizens. More than 100,000 Czechs use the opportunity for short visits to Vienna.
December 3, 1989 - The East German Politburo and the Central Committee, led by Egon Krenz, step down.
December 7, 1989 - The Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) is formed as the first openly anti-communist movement in Bulgaria.
December 10, 1989 - Czechoslovakia's President, Gustav Husak, makes way for the first non-communist government since the 1948 Communist putsch.
December 16, 1989 - Romanian Security forces crack down on anti-Ceausescu demonstrations in Timisoara.
December 17, 1989 - Austrian and Czechoslovakian Foreign Ministers Alois Mock and Jiri Dienstbier symbolically cut through the border fence.
December 22, 1989 - Romania's Ceausescu is visibly shaken at the presence of chanting crowds during what turns out to be his last official speech. He flees by helicopter.
December 22, 1989 - In Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate is reopened, though initially only for pedestrian traffic.
December 23, 1989 - Romania's army turns against Ceausescu.
December 25, 1989 - Romania's Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu are executed. Their bullet-riddled bodies are shown on national TV.
