Former Prime Minister Gyula Horn Dies

Former Hungarian Prime Minister Gyula Horn, who played a key role – as Foreign Minister – in bringing down the Iron Curtain by letting East Germans cross the border to Austria, has died at the age of 80 after spending over six years in hospital.

Horn's death on Wednesday was announced by the Hungarian government and confirmed by the Socialist Party, which he led to victory in the 1994 elections. Attila Mesterházy, leader of the now opposition Socialist Party, said Horn was one of the most successful prime ministers of Hungary and had made one of the greatest impacts on Europe during its sweeping changes over two decades ago.

The Associated Press points out that he was best known internationally for his announcement as foreign minister in 1989 that Hungary would allow East German refugees to leave the country for West Germany, one of the key events that helped bring an end to communism in Eastern Europe.

Tens of thousands of East Germans had traveled to Hungary in the spring and summer of 1989 as expectations mounted that this more moderate Communist country might open its borders to the West. It did in September that year when Horn announced the Hungarian government’s decision to allow East Germans leave for the West even without the exit visa required before.