The Caucus as an Anthropological Topos

Certain historical events may be driven by anthropological topoi surfacing from layers below culture and society, once the structures of society and culture allow for that to happen. Difficulties in finding a suitable term to describe a historical event may hint at such a situation. The events in autumn 1989 in the German Democratic Republic, often referred to as “peaceful revolution”, are analyzed in this regard and it is argued that in essence this was a spontaneous caucus.