On this day: September 12
South African government proclaims nationwide state of emergency, September 1985
On 12 September 1985, the apartheid-era government declared a nationwide state of emergency amid escalating civil unrest and violence, granting security forces broad powers and deepening international condemnation of apartheid.
Formal Start of German Reunification Process Announced
On September 12, 1990, the official process to reunify the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany began, setting in motion legal, political and administrative steps leading to German unity on October 3, 1990.
East and West Germany Announce Formal Start of Reunification Process
East and West German authorities declared on September 12 that formal steps to reunify the two German states would begin, marking a decisive phase in the collapse of postwar division and initiating negotiations and legal processes toward a single German state.
Supreme Court Affirms Federal Power to Enforce School Desegregation
On September 12, 1958, the U.S. Supreme Court addressed how federal courts and officials may enforce school desegregation orders, clarifying remedies and the scope of coercive relief in the wake of Brown v. Board of Education.