Germ 1070

1
Germ 1070

• German Unification 1
• The German Question Resolved?

2
9 November 1989
Die Wende
shock and euphoria of the crowds
the beauty of hindsight
3
What led to the Wende?

• Complex mixture of internal and external factors
• East/West German relations and GDR search for
  legitimacy
• Shifting domestic situation
• Changing political situation at the end of the
  Cold War.

4
East/West German relations

• 1950-60 FRG under Adenauer denies GDR legitimacy
• Alleinvertretungsanspruch
• Hallstein-Doktrin

5
East/West German relations

• Late 1960s-1970s Neue Ostpolitik
• Willy Brandt (SPD)
• Grundlagenvertrag, 21. December 1972
• 1980s ever more links between GDR/FRG
• Growing economic dependence of GDR on FRG
• 1986 Cultural agreement signed

Kniefall Willy Brandts vor dem Denkmal für die
Opfer des Warschauer Ghettoaufstandes Warschau,
7. Dezember 1970
6
GDRs search for legitimacy

• Imperative to gain international recognition
• Balancing legitimacy against granting foreign
  influence (Ostpolitik)
• 1975 Honecker signs Helsinki Human Rights
  Agreement
• Cited by Civil Rights activists at home
• 1978 New accord between Protestant Church and
  State
• allows Christians more freedom to worship.
• degree of toleration of dissenting views allowed

7
Shifting domestic situation

• growing economic stagnation
• Break down in the Sozialvertrag
• State no longer able to buy conformity
• Growing unwillingness of masses to play the
  flag-waving game

8
Changing political situation at the end of the
Cold War.

• Michail Gorbachevcomes to power in USSR
• Perestroika and Glasnost.
• The Brezhnev Doctrine replaced by Sinatra
  Doctrine
• Sputnik banned 1988

9
Events of 1989

• Note Speed of Events
• May Hungary begins demolition of fences at
  Austrian border- first breach in the Iron Curtain
• Protest in GDR against election fraud
• August/September GDR citizens taking refuge in W.
  German embassies in Budapest, Prague, E. Berlin
  mass exodus of people via Hungary
• formation of new opposition groups Neues Forum,
  Demokratie Jetzt, Demokratischer Aufbruch
• USSR does not intervene

10
Events of 1989

• September Monday Demonstrations in Leipzig
  growing in strength.
• 7 October 40 anniversary of GDR  Gorbachevvisit
  wer zu spät kommt, den bestraft das Leben!
• October 9th Huge demo in Leipzig (approx. 70,
  000)
• no Chinese Solution
• turning point in events ? mass mobilization
• October 18th Honecker ousted replaced by Egon
  Krenz
• November 9th Berlin Wall breached (aus Versehen)
• Gunter Schabakowski
• revised travel regulations sofort, unverzüglich

11
Die Wende
A night of Wahnsinn! Click here for BBC
video clip
12
Road to Unification

• 28 NovemberKohl releases 10-point plan for new
  all-German structure, a confederation leading to
  a federation
• 6 December Egon Krenz replaced by Hans Modrow-
  opens up government to non-SED members.
• Gov't and opposition parties meet at Round Table
  demand dissolution of Stasi and democratic
  elections
• Demonstrations continue.
• Shift in expectations amongst the population
• Wir sind das Volk ?Wir sind ein Volk

13
Road to Unification

• Dealing with international concerns
• Fears of German dominance in Europe
• United Germany would be larger than any other
  state in EC.
• French (Mitterand) reluctantly come round
• USA (Bush Snr) give early support- German to
  remain in NATO
• UK (Thatcher) opposed- but had to give in
• Ost Bloc/USSR concerned about security

14
Road to Unification

• Dealing with international concerns
• Kohl/Genscher meet Gorbachev
• All agree to resolve the German Question within
  the context of general East/West rapprochement.
• 24 Talks
• Oder-Neisse line to be guaranteed
• Germany to be in NATO

15
Road to Unification

• Realignment of political parties
• SED?PDS
• CDU democratised
• SPD founded
• 18 March First democratic elections
• CDU win (Lothar de Maizière)
• a clear mandate for quick unification

16
Road to Unification

• 1 July Monetary Union
• Conversion rate of 11
• Unification to take place under Article 23 of
  the Grundgesetz
• GDR joins FRG

17
3 October 1990

• Germany Unified
• Less than a year after the fall of the Wall
• A normal nation again?

Deutschland-Flagge Karikatur zur deutschen
Wiedervereinigung. Antonio Maia Portugal, 2.
Oktober 1990