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HI136 The History of Germany Lecture 19

HI136 The History of Germany Lecture 19. Reunification. 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.

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HI136 The History of Germany Lecture 19

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  1. HI136 The History of GermanyLecture 19 Reunification

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. March Elections

  6. 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.

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

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

  9. 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

  10. 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 -

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