The reunification of Germany in 1990 marked the resolution of the German question. It has been open since World War II, when the victorious countries did not reach consensus on the future of their zones of occupation of the former aggressor country. The reason for such a situation inadequate to the realities of time was the confrontation between the Soviet Union and the West. The German question invariably generated outbursts of international tension.
Obviously, in the unification of Germany, the political aspirations of the presidents of the USSR and the USA, Mikhail Gorbachev and George W. Bush are noticeable. Without the will of these two superpowers, a question of a fundamental political nature could not be resolved. However, the leaders of the largest guarantor countries only considered the proposed integration options. It should be noted that a special honor - to be awarded the symbolic title of architect of a united Germany, presenting the new most powerful economy in Europe, belongs to the German politician Helmut Kohl. Briefly tell about him.
Chancellor: "German Association"
This is a unique person. He survived four eras: World War II, the revival of the German economy, its dynamic development, and finally, at the turn of the 20th century, he made his significant contribution as a politician to the unification of Germany (1990). The Chancellor at the level of education received felt the tragedy of the defeated and divided country and believed in its coming unification. However, he did not even hope that the integrating process would be launched so dynamically. At least, according to his earlier statements, he believed that this event would not happen during his lifetime.
Kohl as a pro-German politician was creative and principled. His confrontation with Margaret Thatcher, who tried to slow down the process as much as possible, does him honor.
He was remembered by the Germans as "chancellor of German unity." It was the federal government that became the headquarters of this association, and Kohl soon became the first chancellor of a united Germany. This article aims to illuminate the unification of Germany as a process, paying attention to its dynamics and fundamental steps.
GDR power: political bankrupt
The undemocratic society, the inefficiency of the manual economy of the GDR of the 90s of the last century became the subject of criticism of many historiographers. Of the economic factors, the deficit of the GDR state budget, as well as the growth of external debt, are most often mentioned . However, to an even greater extent, the existence of the GDR as a state was considered ossified by its political system. The leader of the German Communist Party, Erich Honneker , is today ironically called "Iron Erich."
Preaching unity of command, he was impenetrable for the new. The ideals of communism in it exceeded the aspirations of the Germans. Therefore, the first result of the rise in the GDR of the popular movement was its removal from power on 10/17/1989.
However, in view of the public mood of the GDR, even the rational stabilization steps proposed by his successor, Egon Krenz, were already ineffective.
Prerequisites for the merger
The years of existence of the GDR were numbered. Obviously, the unification of Germany could not take place according to the principles of the obsolete state structure of the GDR. This was manifested in:
- the lag in the transformation of the political system from market requirements, compared with the Soviet model (Gorbachev, perestroika), the Polish (multi-party system);
- the actual formation on September 12, 2009 of the unrecognized opposition - the movement "Democracy Today";
- ignoring the main demand of the opposition - a national dialogue;
- attempts to forcefully solve the problem of refugees using tourist visas to Germany through Hungary and Austria (citizens of the German Democratic Republic applied to the German embassies for political asylum and received one);
- ignoring the will of the people by brutal manipulation of the results of communal elections held in May 1989
Brand new great Germany
It should be noted that in the chronicles the prerequisites are covered much more fully than the causes. The unification of Germany in 1990 took place at the behest of the German people, who continued to feel united in both the FRG and the GDR. Of course, we do not take into account the statements of individual radical politicians (for that they are politicians). We are not interested in statistics that focus on the differences in the economies of the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany, and even more so the “research” of journalists on this subject. An explanation on this issue will be presented at the end of the article.
The main thing is different: almost all Germans wanted associations. This process was restrained by the caution of the victorious countries. After all, everyone understood: a new leading country will appear in Europe. Fortunately, fears turned out to be redundant: the new Germany at the turn of the 21st century chose the path of European integration leader rather than confrontation.
What did the Germans themselves think about unification?
In the press of that time, numerous articles cover the unification of Germany in 1990, interviewing many people. Analyzing interviews with the Germans themselves about their attitude to their new state, we can conclude that for the most part they began to call their country in a special way. Moreover, her name, sounding in these interviews, did not coincide with the official one inherited from Germany.
Ordinary people, without saying a word, called it nothing more than Great Germany. However, in their words there was no pride or aggression. They (it was felt) spoke laconic, but from the heart, and in these words the will was heard for the unity and peace of the suffering people, which went through many trials. These people were ready to work and live in a united country.
The dynamics of the unification process
Of course, the destruction of the Berlin Wall, which served as a logical continuation of the cancellation of the ban on visiting West Berlin by the GDR authorities on 09.11.1989 , became a symbol catalyzing the unification of Germany (1990).
In short, this building symbolized the division of the Germans. On August 13, 1961, the territory of the socialist German Democratic Republic (constitutionalized occupation zone of the USSR) was fenced off from West Berlin along the perimeter of 165 km.
Thus, the socialist rulers blocked the flow of people who dream of living in a market society, because there were a lot of lucky people who were "on the other side of the Iron Curtain" before the wall was built - about 2 million people.
Many modern-day historians do not even consider the unification of Germany in 1990 to be a rubicon, but the destruction of the Wall.
She inspired terror to peaceful people. For citizens of the GDR, seeking to get into the “decaying world of West Berlin” and trying to overcome this 5-meter-high fence with barbed wire on top and with perimeter towers, machine gunners fired. It is sad to write about this, but the history of the existence of this building is overshadowed by 1,065 deaths of civilians.
Is it any wonder that people over whose heads machine gunners stood for four decades have thus expressed their desire for freedom?
The attitude of guarantor countries towards the integration of German states
Great Britain and France, formally understanding the inevitability of German integration, to put it mildly, did not particularly accelerate the unification of Germany (1990). The positions of countries were reduced to a delay of the process.
For example, the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher proposed at first to carry out long-term market reforms in the GDR. The Iron Lady has repeatedly emphasized that "the German association is not yet on the agenda." French President Francois Mitterrand was less categorical, although he would have been more comfortable if the FRG interacted with the GDR, as it did with Austria (another German state).
There were some reasons for the fears of these leaders. After all, the power was restored, which at the beginning and in the middle of the 20th century was the initiator of two world wars that began precisely in Europe.
What were they afraid of? As Karl Marx once wrote, Germany is "a predator who wants to redistribute world spheres of influence in his favor." However, German Chancellor Helmut Kohl eventually managed to convince the neighbors of the peaceful and constructive pro-Helsinki pan-European position of the new German state.
From the very beginning, the USA saw that Germany, after the unification of 1990, would become the new center for EU unification. This country unconditionally acted as a reliable strategic ally of German integration. The Soviet Union, in turn, also did not create any problems for the realization of the dream of the German people.
Merge process
Regulatory positions on the unification of Germany were previously developed and approved upon signing the Treaty regulating the final settlement of the German question.
The agreement was signed according to the 4 + 2 formula: Germany, East Germany, USA, USSR, Great Britain, France. The signing itself took place on 08/31/1990 in the Unter den Linden Palace in Berlin. The atmosphere of this event testified that the unification of Germany (1990) became the most important event in the life of Europe at the end of the 20th century.
Photos of the heads of state, as well as those present at the event, indicate that “the history is made” within the walls of the castle. Of course, national unity has become the leading motive for integration. This was a precedent for the connection within the framework of one state of two different economies and social state systems.
About the unification agreement
Previously, on the part of the German states, the Treaty was signed by the Minister of the Interior of West Germany, Wolfang Schäuble, and State Secretary of the Parliament of the GDR Gunter Krause. The agreement itself was to implement the provisions of Article XXIII of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany by joining the GDR to the Federal Republic of Germany.
On September 12, 1990, in Moscow, the foreign ministers of the guarantor countries signed the Treaty, which finally regulates this process.
As a result, according to the agreement, at 0 hours on 10/14/1990, Germany included historical German lands: the territory of East Berlin, Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Maklenburg-Vorpommern, and Brandenburg.
Unification of Germany against the background of other events of 1990
A curious thing is history. Her analysis sometimes gives interesting results.
The Germans needed a long period of separation and re-awareness of the state paradigm before what was conceived became a reality. What answer will we get if we ask (bearing in mind not the chronological aspect, but the civilizational one): “When did Germany unite (1990)?”
In the year when the first (and last) President began to rule the USSR, when the Armenian SSR declared war on the Azerbaijan SSR, when multi-party government was established in Yugoslavia, when the Communist Party (PORP) was dissolved in Poland. Whereas integration processes were going on in Western Europe, differentiating processes in Eastern Europe.
Time has accelerated. The processes of self-restoration of human civilization, which had "recovered" from nationalism and communism, began. And it is noteworthy that they began in Europe. Who would have thought, for example, that in the 21st century German foreign policy would become a stabilizing peaceful factor in Europe?
Nevertheless, historians call the unification of Germany (1990) the European Rubicon. The consequences of this event are worldviews: previously politically amorphous Europeans finally began to associate themselves with a certain community.
Conclusion
We examined the unification of Germany in 1990, having studied both interviews with the Germans themselves and translations of the German press. Unfortunately, domestic sources of this information are biased. There is an attempt to belittle the role of this association.
For example, the subsequent closure of the GDR-ovsky leading electronics company Robotron (manufacturing, in particular, the first PCs) is sticking out. At the same time, it is hushed up that its units were acquired by Siemens, which, having equipped them with the latest technologies, increased their competitiveness in the world by an order of magnitude.
The entry into East Germany of leading international companies and the creation of new market structures (for example, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange) are silently tendentious. The impression is artificially created that life on the territory of the German Democratic Republic ended with the country's entry into the Federal Republic of Germany, that people are depressed and yearning for socialism.
In reality, the unification of Germany (1990) caused a serious structural restructuring of the entire industrial complex of the GDR. Summary: instead of the chemical, textile industry, metallurgy, working for the countries of the socialist camp, precise mechanics began to develop (it is well known that the Germans are the best engineers in the world), the construction industry, optics, the automotive industry, and the food industry. The process was organized in German rigidly and clearly. Reduced workers were paid benefits, they were retrained for new specialties. People who have reached retirement age have received a pension.
Concluding the presentation of this article, we will express our belief that the unification of Germany in 1990 and its political consequences have not yet been thoroughly studied and analyzed.