HI136 The History of Germany Lecture 17

1. HI136 The History of GermanyLecture 17 1989 and Reunification

2. Reasons for the Collapse of the GDR • Domestic Factors • Economic problems • Growing dissatisfaction with regime • Pressure for reform • International Factors • Reform within the Soviet Union • Liberalisation elsewhere in Eastern Bloc • Pressure from West Germany

3. Economic Stagnation • Short-lived boom in the 1970s could not disguise the structural problems with the GDRs planned economy. • The GDR heavily dependent on loans from West Germany: by 1981 it owed 10,000 million dollars. • Growth fell from 5.5% in 1984 to 2.1% in 1989. • The East German economy one of the strongest in the Soviet Bloc, but still unable to provide the standard of living enjoyed in the West. • Choice poor, quality low and prices high. • Pollution from the East German industry also having a destructive effect on the environment. Source: Bushnell & Leonard, Germany Divided and Reunited 1945-91 (2009)

4. Political Dissent • Growing dissatisfaction throughout the 1980s. • While other Communist states (eg. Poland & Hungary) embraced Gorbachev’s reforms, the Honecker regime resisted any liberalisation. • May 1989: Local election results expose the fraudulent nature of the system & the extent of popular dissatisfaction. • Estimated that at least 20% of people voted against the SED’s Party List. • Opening of Hungarian border a catalyst for eruption of existing discontent. • Existing opposition groups organise & come out in the open in the summer of 1989. • Indecision at the top of the SED & the lack of support from abroad (USSR) prevent a crack down.

5. Reform in the USSR • 1985: Mikhail Gorbachev become General Secretary of the Russian Communist Party. • Perestroika (‘restructuring’): relaxed production quotas and introduced some free enterprise. • Glasnost (‘openness’): greater freedom of the press & transparency in government agencies. • 1988: Withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan & 50% reduction of military presence in Eastern Europe. • July 1989: End to the ‘Brezhnev Doctrine’. Mikhail Gorbachev

6. Reform in Eastern Europe • Poland: • 1980: Solidarity formed in Lenin shipyard in Gdansk. • 1988: Nation-wide strikes force regime into negotiations with the opposition. • March 1989: Sweeping constitutional reforms agreed. • June 1989: Communists rejected in first free election since 1939. • Hungary: • 1980s: Reformers within the Communist Party introduce limited economic liberalisation. • 1988: Elderly Janos Kadar removed from office & reformers seize the upper hand in the Politburo. • January 1989: Extensive political reforms agreed, including opening borders with the West.

7. The Collapse of Communism • May 1989: Hungary opens its border with Austria – hundreds of Germans on holiday in Hungary take the opportunity to flee to the West. • Mass exodus of East Germans begins, with frustrated escapees taking refuge in West German embassies in Prague & Warsaw. • Opposition groups begin to organise – new East German Social Democratic Party founded in July, calls for an end to the single party state in August, New Forum formed in September, Democratic Beginning in October. • October 1989: Gorbachev visits East Berlin – scuffles between police & protesters. • 9 October 1989: 70,000 protesters demonstrate in Leipzig. • 19 October: Honecker removed for ‘health reasons’ and replaced by EgonKrenz.

8. The Fall of the Wall • An easing of travel restrictions between the GDR and West Germany announced on 9 Nov. 1989. • Intention that this would appease demands for greater liberalisation. • In a press conference the Berlin SED chief Gunther Schabowski mistakenly announced that border crossings would be opened with immediate effect. • Thousands of Berliners flocked to the wall and border guards had no choice but to let them through. • Ecstatic scenes around the wall and East Berliners welcomed to the West, but potential problems quickly become apparent.

10. Explanations for 1989 • Economic stagnation in the Eastern Bloc. • Growing gap between East and West becoming more and apparent in the 1970s and 80s. • By 1989 Marxism-Leninism seemed increasingly bankrupt – regimes had run out of ‘socialist’ solutions to economic and social ills. • Marxism predicted its own demise: revolutions occur when • Division & loss of confidence amongst the ruling elite • Means of production reached the limits of their potential for growth • Educated cease to support the regime • Growing demoralisation and discontent amongst the working classes • Propitious international situation: Gorbachev’s reforms, end of Brezhnev Doctrine etc. • A combination of factors led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the eventual collapse of the GDR – only when domestic grievances coincided with favourable international circumstances could dissenters successfully challenge the regime.

11. Reform in the GDR • The opening to the border between East and West Germany meant there was now no turning back for the GDR. • An upsurge of German nationalism and calls for reunification – the protesters’ slogan changes from ‘We are the people’ to ‘We are one people’. • The pressure for reform in the GDR could not be ignored, and the Communist state apparatus quickly dismantled: • Egon Krenz too closely associated with the old regime and resigned after only 44 days. Replaced by Hans Modrow as Prime Minister. • In Dec. 1989 the Volkskammer voteed to alter the constitution, ending the SED’s monopoly on power. • The Politburo and Central Committee resigned, censorship ended and local party officials removed. • Free elections announced for May 1990. • In Feb. the SED renamed itself the Party of Democratic Socialism. • This constitutional revolution achieved by rank-and-file SED members and Volkskammer Deputies.

12. The International Situation • The West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl rushed to Berlin in November and promised economic aid in return for political reform. • On 28 Nov. Kohl proposed a 10 point plan for reunification without consulting either the Western Allied or his coalition partners. This rejected by the GDR, but put reunification officially on the agenda. • But there were many who had misgivings about reunification in both the Federal Republic and elsewhere. • However, in general the international situation was favourable towards reunification: • An end to Cold War tensions made this possible for the first time since 1945. • The Americans had always backed Kohl’s drive for reunification. • Negotiations over the summer of 1990 solved problems over Germany’s membership of NATO and reassured both the Russians and other European leaders. • In July Gorbachev agreed to abandon objections to reunification in exchange for DM12 million and guarantees that no NATO troops be stationed in Eastern Germany.

13. March Elections

14. Reunification • March 1990: Elections in the GDR – the CDU dominated Alliance for Germany won the most seats & formed a Grand Coalition with the Social Democrats & Liberals. • Economic & political collapse meant that a separate East German state was no longer viable. • July 1990: Currency reform saw the Deutschmark being adopted in the East. • ‘Two plus Four’ negotiations between the former wartime allies & the German states led to the USA, USSR, Britain & France renouncing their rights over Germany at midnight on 1-2 October 1990. • At midnight on 2-3 October the black-red-gold flag raised in front of the Reichstag building in Berlin and the GDR was formally abolished.

15. Source: Mary Fulbrook (ed.), Germany since 1800

16. December 1990 Bundestag Elections Key: CDU – Black SPD – Red FDP – Yellow PDS – Purple Greens – Green

17. Germany After 1990 • The speed of reunification brought problems of its own. • Economic disparities between East and West led to resentment and dissatisfaction. • ‘Ossies’ and ‘Wessies’. • The rise of Ostalgie. • ‘Destasification’: opening of Stasi files led to controversy: • Criminal charges against former border guards in ealy 90s led to accusations of ‘Victors Justice’. • Scandals as the extent of surveillance became common knowledge. Stall selling GDR memorabilia, Berlin, 2006

18. Post-reunification Politics • Fears of a resurgence of the extreme right proved unfounded in the 1990s. • Despite the fears of other European nations the German political system continued in the same mold. • 1991: Bundestag voted for Berlin to become the capital once more. • 1999: Restored Reichstag building becomes the home of the German parliament. • Renewed sense of national confidence and involvement in international politics. • Germany an increasingly confident, stable democratic nation at the heart of Europe. Gerhard Schröder, Chancellor 1998-2005 Angela Merkel, Chancellor 2005 -