HI136 The History of Germany Lecture 19

1. HI136 The History of GermanyLecture 19 Reunification

2. 3 Pillars of Soviet System • Principle of Soviet Military Domination / Security of Region • Socialist Command Economy • Sole Rule of Communist Party

3. Gorbachev1985-1991

4. Soviet Reforms • Glasnost & Perestroika • Sept. 1986: Amnesty given to Polish prisoners. • Sept. 1988: Gorbachev closed down central committee dept. responsible for centralizing Communist Parties in E. Europe. • Dec. 1988: Gorbachev renounces threat of force as form of foreign policy.

5. Tiananmen Square? • April 1989: Soviet troops begin to withdraw from Hungary • May 1989: Hungary begins to defortify border with Austria • Oct. ‘89: 40th anniversary of the GDR. Gorbachev: “Life punishes those who come to late.”

6. 9 November 1989

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. March Elections

11. 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.

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

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

14. 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

15. 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 -