Wende ("the turn-around") refers to a historical process in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in the years 1989 and 1990, after the Soviet reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev. The communist Socialist Unity Party of Germany ("Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands", shortly "SED") lost their power and a democratic government was established. The policy of this new government lead finally to German reunification in October 1990.