Reunification: recreating a united Germany 1989-90

Question 1

Who became the leader of the FRG in 1969, and what was his policy of Ostpolitik?

Answer 1

Willy Brandt

Ostpolitik aimed to improve relations with the GDR, culminating in the Basic Treaty in 1972 which confirmed the division of Germany into two legal states

In 1987, even Honecker visited the FRG in 1987 and met the new chancellor, Helmut Kohl

Question 2

When did Gorbachev become leader of the USSR and what was his chief policy aim?

Answer 2

1985

Gorbachev introduced the policies of Glasnost (openness) and Perestroika (restructuring), which were an attempt to make the USSR more friendly towards the West

This involved reducing military spending, greater freedom of speech, and political participation in the USSR.

Question 3

What was the reaction in the GDR to the reforms that Gorbachev was introducing in the USSR?

Answer 3

Honecker had no interest in pursuing a more open society or making economic changes

However, the GDR had a declining economic situation; in the early 1980s, for example, the GDR borrowed DM1.95 billion from the FRG in order to continue the massive subsidies they paid to maintain the standard of living for the people of the country

Question 4

To ease pressure in the GDR, Honecker allowed a greater number of people to visit family in the FRG, and allowed some to emigrate. How many were applying to emigrate?

Answer 4

By 1988, the GDR received 100,000s of applications from essential skilled workers to emigrate to the FRG

In 1988, the number of East Germans allowed to migrate increased by 18,500 to 30,000

By the beginning of of 1989, 48,000 had emigrated in the first few months

Question 5

What was the FRGs reaction to this increase in emigration from the GDR?

Answer 5

The FRG did not support this continued emigration from the GDR as it felt that if the GDR became too depleted, there would be a depression there, and it was becoming increasingly expensive to house the numbers of migrants coming from the GDR

Question 6

How did Hungary make the emigration crisis in the GDR worse?

Answer 6

On the 2nd May, 1989, the reforming Hungarian communist government announced they would remove the barbed wire fencing along its border with Austria

10,000s of East Germans travelled to Hungary, ostensibly to go on holiday, but hoping to flee to the FRG through Austria

Question 7

How did Hungary oppose the GDRs wishes after removing the fencing along its Austrian border?

Answer 7

On the 9th August, 1989, Hungarian officials said they would no longer stamp the passports of GDR citizens crossing the border to Austria, and would not send GDR citizens back to the GDR

Throughout July-August, 1989, 1000s of East Germans lived in temporary refugee camps in Hungary along the Austrian border

Question 8

Honecker was taken ill from 21st August until late September 1989. What did this allow to happen in the GDR?

Answer 8

Mass protests in Leipzig (the Monday demonstrations) attracted 10,000s and then 100,000s.

By October 1989, 320,000 people took part in the weekly protests.

Question 9

How did Honecker try to make light of the emigration from the GDR?

Answer 9

Honecker argued the people leaving the GDR were just traitors and not welcome in East Germany

He allowed 14,000 East Germans camped in the West German embassy in Prague to migrate to West Germany. They were put on sealed trains to make it appear as if the GDR was expelling traitors

Question 10

What did Gorbachev announce when he came to the GDR in 1989?

Answer 10

Gorbachev confirmed that the USSR would no longer prop up failing Eastern European states with monetary/military help

Two days later, 70,000 people gathered in Leipzig to protest against communist rule in the GDR.

Question 11

What became of Honecker as a result of the Leipzig protests?

Answer 11

As a result of these protests, the SED sacked Honecker and replaced him with Egon Krenz

Krenz announced that he hoped it wasn’t too late to introduce reforms and create a country that East Germans would be pleased to live in

Question 12

How bad was the revolution in the GDR getting by November, 1989?

Answer 12

Approx. 750,000 East Germans had taken to the streets to protest about the GDR

On 4th November, mass protests took place in Berlin and there were calls for political freedom, legislation of opposition groups and unrestricted travel

Question 13

What was the response to the November protests in the GDR, and how badly did the conference go?

Answer 13

On the 9th November, Gunter Schabowski of the SED announced a new policy whereby anyone with a passport would have greater travel rights.

When the press asked the unprepared Schabowski when the regulation came into force, he looked at his noted and replied “immediately”.

As word spread that the border was open, thousands flooded to checkpoints along the Berlin Wall.

Poor, poor Schabowski

Question 14

With Schabowski’s announcement, what occured in Berlin?

Answer 14

At 11:20pm on the 9th November, the border guards at Bornholmer Bridge decided the lift the East-West barrier

East German border controls collapsed, and people started attacking sections of the wall since it was the most vivid example of division

Question 15

What was the crucial Soviet decision on the 9th November, 1989?

Answer 15

The 1.5 million Soviet soldiers in the GDR were ordered to remain in their barracks and made no attempt to intervene, thus upholding Gorbachev’s promise that he would not use military force to uphold unpopular communist states

Question 16

On the 13th November, 1989, political parties in the GDR reasserted themselves, and said they would oppose the SED. How did the SED change?

Answer 16

The SED removed all of its leadership in an attempt to show it was willing to change and even renamed itself the Part of Democratic Socialism (PDS) under the leadership of Hans Modrow and Gregor Gysi

This made no impact on the revolution

Question 17

Helmut Kohl was chancellor of Germany since 1982. What was his initial policy towards the GDR?

Answer 17

Pursued a policy of reasoned accommodation, to preserve the balance of power in Europe

Still, ushered in a new era of cooperation between West and East Europe, such as with Hungary and Poland. Gorbachev even made a successful visit to Bonn in June, 1989

Question 18

What was the reaction of Helmut Kohl and the FRG to Schabowski’s announcement?

Answer 18

This news caughts Kohl off-guard, and most FRG politicians thought unification impossible

The immediate reaction was to provide aid to the 100,000s arriving from the GDR, and to provide economic aid to the GDR if they were willing to make political reforms

Both sides agreed the continued existence of the GDR was necessary to European stability

Question 19

What was Kohl’s Ten Point Plan?

Answer 19

The Plan aimed to stabilise the situation by moving towards a confederate state linking the two Germany’s, then move towards full reunification within 5-10 years

28th November, Kohl made a speech to the Bundestag in order to ‘regain Germany’s national unity’, reversing his previous position of stability, and becoming the first chancellor to call for unification in 30 years

He also promised immediate assistance for the GDR

Question 20

Why did Kohl make his Ten Point Plan?

Answer 20

Partly selfish - the CDU was polling low and he believed that by announcing the Ten Point Plan, he would win the next election in West Germany

Question 21

What was the European reaction to the Ten Point Plan?

Answer 21

The USSR was concerned about a reunified Germany’s membership of NATO

British newspapers wailed at the prospect of a powerful, enlarged Germany at the centre of Europe. The French press talked of a fourth Reich

Jacques Delors, President of the European Commission, even suggested the GDR could become a member of the EU as a second German state (thus avoiding unification)

Question 22

What happened in the December of 1989?. What happened there?

Answer 22

On the 11th, mass demonstrations of 300,000 people took place in Leipzig with protestors carrying German flags and calling for reunification

Kohl visited Dresden in the East on the 19th, and received a huge welcome with 100,000 people gathering to hear him talk

Question 23

When was Germany reunified?

Answer 23

From January-February 1990, high level discussions began on how to best pursue the complex financial union between the FRG and GDR

Kohl believed the first stages would take two years, but took place at a pace no one envisaged

Germany was reunified at midnight on 2nd-3rd October, 1990

Question 24

What were some of the economic problems within the GDR?

Answer 24

• The main industrial lands in Germany were in the Ruhr and Saarland, thus making the GDR mainly agricultural and less productive
• The welfare state was increasingly unaffordable
• The GDR spent a huge proportion of its budget on the military and bureaucracy
• The growth was unsustainable

Question 25

What were some prosperous aspects of the GDR?

Answer 25

• GDR was the most successful economy in Eastern Europe, with the highest living standards in the East too
• Under Honecker, consumer goods became widely available
• The GDR was the most advanced Eastern European developer of microelectronics and computer technology

Question 26

How reliant was the GDR on the FRG?

Answer 26

In 1983 and 1984, the GDR had to arrange huge loans from the FRG to prop up its economy

Honecker’s focus on maintaining the welfare state led to spiralling debt

Question 27

What did an October 1989 report say of the GDR?

Answer 27

An SED report said that exports would have to increase by DDM9 million in order to stabilise the country’s debt

Question 28

What was the dumbest thing the GDR did which, I’d argue, led to its collapse

Answer 28

The GDR spent DDM1 billion on trying to create the world’s largest microchip. It failed

This is the sort of history you just can’t make up. Which dingus in the SED thought “microchip? Yeah, okay, lets make a strong communist MEGAchip.” This man was probably taken behind a barn and shot. Good lord.

Question 29

How much lower was life expectancy in the GDR compared to the FRG?

Answer 29

By 1989, the life expectancy of a GDR citizen was 2.5 years lower for men and 7 years lower for women

Question 30

The GDR’s environmental conditions were the worst in Europe due to the use of brown coal for energy, as they were unable to afford oil. How bad did it get?

Answer 30

Brown coal was highly polluting. THey had the highest levels of CO2 and SO2 in the world. Forests were threatened by acid rain and respiratory illnesses were twice the European average

Question 31

Following the resignation of Egon Krenz, Hans Madrow became the leader of the GDR on 3rd December, 1989. What did he promise?

Answer 31

Promised reforms to make the GDR more open, to tackle economic and environmental problems

He also reasserted the GDR was essential to the stability of Europe

Question 32

What reform did Modrow try to make to the GDR early on?

Answer 32

Madrow tried to replace the hated GDR secret police, the Stasi, with a watered-down security force, but popular protest forced him to back down

This was further illustrated on the 15th January, 1990 when the Stasi HQ in Berlin was stormed by protestors

Question 33

In an attempt to save the GDR, Modrow announced elections for 18th March 1990. What happened as a result of these elections?

Answer 33

The election saw a massive victory for the CDU-led coalition called ‘Alliance for Germany’, winning 192/400 seats.

The SED, now PDS, won only 66 seats and the SPD won 88. The GDR’s CDU leader, Lothar de Maiziére, formed a coalition with the SPD and the League of Free Democrats

Question 34

Within two weeks of Maiziére taking office, he and Kohl set a date for the monetary, economic, and social union of the FRG and GDR. What monetary decision happened from here, and what was the effect?

Answer 34

East Germans were allowed to convert DDM4000 into West German marks (DM) at an exchange rate of 1:1, which should’ve been 4:1

This caused a complete meltdown of the GDR economy and unemployment rose, with a sharp decline in living standards. GDR citizens were not used to paying FRG prices for goods and this was exacerbated by the fact that the welfare state had been incredibly generous in the GDR

Question 35

How did events outside the GDR take over as Kohl began foreign work?

Answer 35

Kohl negotiated with the former allied powers (the Four Powers) about how best to unify Germany and the GDR leadership was sidelined

Due to the impending economic collapse of the GDR, the date for reunification had to be brought forward much to the chagrin of the Four Powers

Question 36

What was the main issue of contention for the Four Power’s over reunification?

Answer 36

The USA insisted that a newly reunified Germany be a member of NATO. The USA wanted to maintain some influence over Western Europe by keeping Germany a member and they believed membership would curtail expansionist policies by future German governments (to regain land lost after WW2 for examples)

Question 37

What were Britain and France fearful of with a reunified Germany?

Answer 37

Both France and Britain had major concerns about a unified and powerful Germany at the centre of Europe again. They feared that Germany could seek to dominate Europe economically and upset the status-quo

Both Thatcher and Mitterand were against unification and Kohl didn’t help matters in a meeting in December 1989 when he didn’t commit to maintaining Germany’s eastern borders

Question 38

What did Britain and France propose to prevent reunification, and who else opposed reunification outside the Four Powers?

Answer 38

Britain and France both felt that the GDR could be propped up with Western assistance which shows the strength of their feelings on the matter

The leaders of Netherlands, Poland, and Italy also spoke out against reunification and the speed at which the process appeared to be happening

Question 39

On the 11th December, 1989, the Four Powers met for the first time since the 1940s at the Allied Control Council. What was important about this meeting?

Answer 39

The West Germans were unhappy because they were not invited, creating reminders of Versailles. At this meeting, the USA declared it would not agree to a reunified Germany unless it was a member of NATO

Gorbachev believed that a reformed SED might be able to save the GDR as an independent state. Kohl agreed to the USA’s demands

Question 40

What was Kohl’s bargaining chip at discussions?

Answer 40

Kohl’s chip was the failing GDR. He argued that if the GDR was allowed to collapse, it would cause chaos in Europe with a refugee crisis and the instability would lead to conflict

Even Britain and France recognised this concern. Gorbachev also realised that only a massive loan could save the GDR, but he was unwilling to do this given the USSR’s own fragile economic situation

Question 41

What did Gorbachev finally decide when it came to German reunification?

Answer 41

In February 1990, Gorbachev informed Kohl that it would be up to the German people to decide about unification and the USSR would not get involved

Question 42

What were the negotiations between the Four Powers and West Germany known as?

Answer 42

These talks were known as the Two plus Four negotiations.

Question 43

Why were the talks for unification dragging on by March 1990?

Answer 43

The talks dragged as the Germans thought the USSR was trying to stall reunification. The USSR’s hand was forced following the election in the GDR

Under Article 23 of the FRG constitution, reunification would take place if the GDR accepted unification under the FRG’s conditions; they agreed

Question 44

Economic unification took place in July 1990 meaning that the USSR could no longer stall unification. What was the USSR’s new concern now?

Answer 44

Gorbachev was so concerned about the USSR’s economy, he requested loans from the USA and UK but both rejected. He then turned to West Germany to ask for financial help

In May 1990, Gorbachev told the USA he would accept a reunified Germany as NATO member

Gorbachev then met with Helmut Kohl to discuss a withdrawal of Soviet forces form the GDR, the eastern borders of the country and the size of the German army

Question 45

What were the last problems just a month away from reunification?

Answer 45

West Germany agreed the loan with the USSR and reunification was almost a reality

There was a disagreement between the UK and USSR concerning Western military activities in a unified Germany but this was overcome and on 12th September 1990, representatives from the Four Powers, the FRG and the GDR, signed the ‘Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect of Germany’

Unification was on the midnight of the 2nd-3rd of October, 1990