The Cold War incepted with the conclusion of the World War II which saw the emergence of USA and USSR as two major superpowers causing global tensions for the next 46 years. The old capital of Berlin, as the seat of the Allied Control Council, was itself subdivided into four occupation zones. Although the intent
was for the occupying powers to govern Germany together in the borders from 1947, the development of Cold War tension caused
the French, British and American zones to be formed into the Federal Republic of Germany (and West Berlin) in 23rd May, 1949; excluding the Soviet zone which then formed the German Democratic Republic (including East Berlin) 7th October of the same year.
Final stage of the Cold War and Germany:
The reform initiatives of Gorbachev, stagnating economy, Chernobyl disaster, local nationalism, lack of economic incentives, excessive military focus led to the ruin of USSR and the conclusion of the Cold War. And an important outcome of the Cold War was the German Reunification.
On 6th October, 1989, Gorbachev visited East Germany to mark the 40th anniversary of the German Democratic Republic, and urged the East German leadership to accept change. Long-time East German leader Erich Honecker remained opposed to any internal reform, with speculation that the government was planning a violent crackdown on the growing demonstrations. However, Honecker was forced to resign on October 18. More resignations followed when the entire East German cabinet stepped down on November 7.
Shortly after Gorbachev’s visit, on November 9, 1989, the GDR announced that it was legal for citizens to cross into the West, and the Berlin Wall was spontaneously dismantled by a jubilant public. Immediately, re-unification negotiations began between the GDR and FRG, culminating in a Unification Treaty on August 31, 1990, while negotiations between the GDR and FRG and the four occupying powers produced the so-called “Two plus Four Treaty” granting full independence to a unified German state.
German Reunification:
On November 28, West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl outlined a 10-point plan for the peaceful reunification of the two Germanies based on free elections in East Germany and a unification of their two economies. In early February 1990, the Modrow government’s proposal for a unified, neutral German state was rejected by Chancellor Kohl, who affirmed that a unified Germany must be a member of NATO.
Finally, on March 18, 1990, the first and only free elections in the history of the GDR were held, producing a government whose major mandate was to negotiate an end to itself and its state.
Germany was officially reunified on October 3, 1990, when the five re-established federal states (Bundeslander) of East Germany: Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia formally joined the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), choosing one of two options implemented in the West German constitution (Grundgesetz).
As these five newly-founded German states formally joined the Federal Republic in accordance with the (then-existing) Article 23, the area in which the Grundgesetz (basic law) served as the constitution was simply extended to include them.
To facilitate this process and to reassure other countries, the FRG made some changes to the “Basic Law” (constitution). Article 146 was amended so that Article 23 of the current constitution could be used for reunification. Then, once the five “reestablished federal states” in East Germany had joined, the Basic Law was amended again to indicate that “there were no other parts of Germany, which existed outside of the unified territory that had not acceded.” However, the constitution can be amended again at some future date and it still permits the adoption of another constitution by the German people at some time in the future.
Factors influencing the reunification:
There are several factors that fueled the German Reunification both internal and external. These are:
Reforms of Gorbachev:
Mikhail Gorbachev’s Glasnost, Perestroika and Democratization greatly influence the Communist states. With these Gorbachev gave floor to lessen the control of the communist party, make changes to the economic system and also allowed free election. All these greatly inspired the Germans to the inception of the German Reunification.
Absence of “Iron Curtain:
Without the aid of the USSR the iron curtain started to lift and the communist regimes started to fell. Nationalism started to spread across Europe as Poland held free elections, Hungary reformed their communist party, Czechoslovakia and Romania forcing their communist leaders to resign. All these fuelled the ultimate dream of the segregated German citizens.
Economic success of FRG:
Right from the division of the West German economy boomed. The growth rate of industrial production was 20% in 1950 and 18.1% in 1951. Though the economy saw downward trend during the late 1960’s it recovered itself and by the year 1989 the total production growth was 7.4% which attracted the global attention.
Dissatisfaction with Socialism:
The lack of freedom of speech and action, reduced incentives to work, militant opposition to imperialism, and indifference towards the environment in the communist regime made the people of East Germany opt for a better governance system. Its people yearned for the liberty, civil rights and democracy enjoyed by their countrymen in the West, and hated the authoritarian regime under which they lived.
Germans wish to be reunited:
As with other incidents of divided nations, many families had members left on the other side. The West was strongly in favor of reunification but as long as the Soviet Union was able to pursue its ideological war with the West, the authorities in the East were not about to give up what they described as their socialist paradise.
Aftermath of the reunification:
As everything has a price the German Reunification introduced some heavy challenges I front of the newly emerged economy. These are:
Economic challenges:
The costs of reunification are estimated to amount to over 1.5 trillion euros. This is more than the national debt of the German state. The primary cause of this was the severe weakness of the East German economy, especially when the West German economy, combined with (politically motivated) exchange rates from the East German mark to the Deutsche Mark that did not reflect this economic reality, resulting in a very sudden and usually fatal loss of competitiveness of East German industries, making them collapse within a very short time. Today, there are still special transfers of more than 10 billion euros every year to “rebuild” the eastern part of Germany.
Unemployment problem:
As a consequence of the reunification, most of the former GDR has been deindustrialized, causing an unemployment rate of about 20 percent. Since then, hundreds of thousands of former East Germans have continued to migrate to western Germany to find jobs, resulting in the loss of significant portions of population, especially in highly trained professions.
Free market in the East:
As the west part of Germany was capitalist and the east had a shaky economy it opened a new window for the businessmen and investors to use the resources of the east and make everyone better off.
Infrastructural improvement:
The East Germany was not only economically fragile but also poor in infrastructure. The reunification of Germany gave the GDR the opportunity to improve their infrastructural conditions. As the economy of FRG was about 58% better than the GDR the reunification provided better infrastructural improvement opportunities to the East Germany.
Conclusion:
The division of Germany disappeared as the cold war ended that created it. Reunification occurred with surprising ease and swiftness and most importantly without any bloodshed. Despite the fact that economic disparity between the two halves of the re-unified Germany has proved costly, and while the initial euphoria has passed, Germans rejoice in the end of partition.
Fahim Ahmed
was for the occupying powers to govern Germany together in the borders from 1947, the development of Cold War tension caused
the French, British and American zones to be formed into the Federal Republic of Germany (and West Berlin) in 23rd May, 1949; excluding the Soviet zone which then formed the German Democratic Republic (including East Berlin) 7th October of the same year.
Final stage of the Cold War and Germany:
The reform initiatives of Gorbachev, stagnating economy, Chernobyl disaster, local nationalism, lack of economic incentives, excessive military focus led to the ruin of USSR and the conclusion of the Cold War. And an important outcome of the Cold War was the German Reunification.
On 6th October, 1989, Gorbachev visited East Germany to mark the 40th anniversary of the German Democratic Republic, and urged the East German leadership to accept change. Long-time East German leader Erich Honecker remained opposed to any internal reform, with speculation that the government was planning a violent crackdown on the growing demonstrations. However, Honecker was forced to resign on October 18. More resignations followed when the entire East German cabinet stepped down on November 7.
Shortly after Gorbachev’s visit, on November 9, 1989, the GDR announced that it was legal for citizens to cross into the West, and the Berlin Wall was spontaneously dismantled by a jubilant public. Immediately, re-unification negotiations began between the GDR and FRG, culminating in a Unification Treaty on August 31, 1990, while negotiations between the GDR and FRG and the four occupying powers produced the so-called “Two plus Four Treaty” granting full independence to a unified German state.
German Reunification:
On November 28, West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl outlined a 10-point plan for the peaceful reunification of the two Germanies based on free elections in East Germany and a unification of their two economies. In early February 1990, the Modrow government’s proposal for a unified, neutral German state was rejected by Chancellor Kohl, who affirmed that a unified Germany must be a member of NATO.
Finally, on March 18, 1990, the first and only free elections in the history of the GDR were held, producing a government whose major mandate was to negotiate an end to itself and its state.
Germany was officially reunified on October 3, 1990, when the five re-established federal states (Bundeslander) of East Germany: Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia formally joined the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), choosing one of two options implemented in the West German constitution (Grundgesetz).
As these five newly-founded German states formally joined the Federal Republic in accordance with the (then-existing) Article 23, the area in which the Grundgesetz (basic law) served as the constitution was simply extended to include them.
To facilitate this process and to reassure other countries, the FRG made some changes to the “Basic Law” (constitution). Article 146 was amended so that Article 23 of the current constitution could be used for reunification. Then, once the five “reestablished federal states” in East Germany had joined, the Basic Law was amended again to indicate that “there were no other parts of Germany, which existed outside of the unified territory that had not acceded.” However, the constitution can be amended again at some future date and it still permits the adoption of another constitution by the German people at some time in the future.
Factors influencing the reunification:
There are several factors that fueled the German Reunification both internal and external. These are:
Reforms of Gorbachev:
Mikhail Gorbachev’s Glasnost, Perestroika and Democratization greatly influence the Communist states. With these Gorbachev gave floor to lessen the control of the communist party, make changes to the economic system and also allowed free election. All these greatly inspired the Germans to the inception of the German Reunification.
Absence of “Iron Curtain:
Without the aid of the USSR the iron curtain started to lift and the communist regimes started to fell. Nationalism started to spread across Europe as Poland held free elections, Hungary reformed their communist party, Czechoslovakia and Romania forcing their communist leaders to resign. All these fuelled the ultimate dream of the segregated German citizens.
Economic success of FRG:
Right from the division of the West German economy boomed. The growth rate of industrial production was 20% in 1950 and 18.1% in 1951. Though the economy saw downward trend during the late 1960’s it recovered itself and by the year 1989 the total production growth was 7.4% which attracted the global attention.
Dissatisfaction with Socialism:
The lack of freedom of speech and action, reduced incentives to work, militant opposition to imperialism, and indifference towards the environment in the communist regime made the people of East Germany opt for a better governance system. Its people yearned for the liberty, civil rights and democracy enjoyed by their countrymen in the West, and hated the authoritarian regime under which they lived.
Germans wish to be reunited:
As with other incidents of divided nations, many families had members left on the other side. The West was strongly in favor of reunification but as long as the Soviet Union was able to pursue its ideological war with the West, the authorities in the East were not about to give up what they described as their socialist paradise.
Aftermath of the reunification:
As everything has a price the German Reunification introduced some heavy challenges I front of the newly emerged economy. These are:
Economic challenges:
The costs of reunification are estimated to amount to over 1.5 trillion euros. This is more than the national debt of the German state. The primary cause of this was the severe weakness of the East German economy, especially when the West German economy, combined with (politically motivated) exchange rates from the East German mark to the Deutsche Mark that did not reflect this economic reality, resulting in a very sudden and usually fatal loss of competitiveness of East German industries, making them collapse within a very short time. Today, there are still special transfers of more than 10 billion euros every year to “rebuild” the eastern part of Germany.
Unemployment problem:
As a consequence of the reunification, most of the former GDR has been deindustrialized, causing an unemployment rate of about 20 percent. Since then, hundreds of thousands of former East Germans have continued to migrate to western Germany to find jobs, resulting in the loss of significant portions of population, especially in highly trained professions.
Free market in the East:
As the west part of Germany was capitalist and the east had a shaky economy it opened a new window for the businessmen and investors to use the resources of the east and make everyone better off.
Infrastructural improvement:
The East Germany was not only economically fragile but also poor in infrastructure. The reunification of Germany gave the GDR the opportunity to improve their infrastructural conditions. As the economy of FRG was about 58% better than the GDR the reunification provided better infrastructural improvement opportunities to the East Germany.
Conclusion:
The division of Germany disappeared as the cold war ended that created it. Reunification occurred with surprising ease and swiftness and most importantly without any bloodshed. Despite the fact that economic disparity between the two halves of the re-unified Germany has proved costly, and while the initial euphoria has passed, Germans rejoice in the end of partition.
Fahim Ahmed