History

It’s Been 30 Years Since German Unification. How Did We Get Here?

Germany’s trajectory throughout the 20th century was one of immense upheaval. Starting out the century as the new, promising up-and-comer of international great power politics, transitioning into a pariah state and then into a regime so evil as to have basically become synonymous with the word, Germany spent the back half of the century divided in two. The turnaround was completed by the miraculous achievement of German unification, which cemented Germany’s new status as a core actor in European integration and a respected nation in the international community.

German unification, however, had deep roots. As the battlefield of choice should the Cold War go hot, Germany lived with the constant danger of complete nuclear annihilation hanging over its head. The two German governments made themselves the model of competing ideological systems, focused on defeating and superseding one another. Thirty years on, the scars of this confrontation still haven’t fully healed, and the pains of unification remain under the political spotlight in Germany. This momentous anniversary is as much a case for reflection as it is for celebration. And it is with reflection in mind that the story of German unification must be re-examined.

World War 2 ends

Following the end of the Second World War, Europe had been split in half between the Allied nations in the West, and the USSR with their satellite members of the Warsaw Pact in the East, separated by an “Iron Curtain” as Winston Churchill so famously said while delivering a speech in Fulton, Missouri. While Germany had suffered immensely, and now found itself torn into several pieces, each controlled by one power, most of Europe was reeling due to postwar poverty and hunger. This was one of the reasons that Western Europe, much to the dismay of the USA, saw strong, communist parties, heavily aligned with Moscow, popping up. Italy and France in particular deserve a mention.

The Americans managed to counter this Soviet threat, as they saw it, with the Marshall Plan, named after US Secretary of State, George C Marshall. The program provided broad economic aid to European states on condition only that they work together for their mutual benefit. The Soviet Union and its satellites were invited to participate. Finland and Czechoslovakia were willing, and Poland and Hungary showed interest.

Of course, Stalin could not allow this to happen and so forbade participation by the Soviet satellites. The Marshall Plan helped restore prosperity to Western Europe and set the stage for Europe’s unprecedented postwar economic growth. It also led to the waning of communist strength in the West and to the establishment of solid democratic regimes.

In February 1948 a dramatic and brutal display of power of Stalin’s new policy took place in Prague. The Communists expelled the democratic members of what had been a coalition government and murdered Jan Masaryk, the foreign minister and son of the founder of Czechoslovakia, Thomas Masaryk. President Eduard Benes was forced to resign, and Czechoslovakia was brought fully under Soviet rule.

Jan Masaryk’s body, found on the morning of March 10, 1948. The initial explanation was that he had killed himself by jumping out of his apartment window, but immediately there were suspicions of murder.
Jan Masaryk’s body, found on the morning of March 10, 1948. The initial explanation was that he had killed himself by jumping out of his apartment window, but immediately there were suspicions of murder.

Germany is split

These sort of Soviet actions increased American determination to go ahead with its own arrangements in Germany. The Russians swiftly dismantled German industry in the Eastern zone, but the Americans chose to try and make Germany self-sufficient, which meant restoring rather than destroying its industrial capacity.

Disagreements over Germany produced the most heated postwar debate. When the Western powers agreed to go forward with a separate constitution for the Western parts of Germany in February 1948, the Soviets walked out of a joint Allied Control Commission.

Berlin, while well within Soviet control, was governed by all four powers. The Soviets chose to seal off the city by closing all railroads and highways to West Germany, in an effort to drive the Western powers out of Berlin. The Western Allies responded to the Berlin Blockade with an airlift of supplies to the city that lasted almost a year (June 1948 – May 1949). In May 1949, the Russians were forced to back down and to open access to Berlin.

The incident greatly increased tensions and suspicions between the two opponents and hastened the separation of Germany into two states, a situation that prevailed for 40 years. West Germany (BRD, Bundesrepublik Deutschland) formally became the Federal Republic of Germany in September 1949, and one month later, East Germany (DDR, Deutsche Demokratische Republik), became the German Democratic Republic.

The Iron Curtain starts opening

In 1989 Soviet domination and communist rule in Eastern Europe came to an abrupt end, the USSR swallowed Eastern Europe after the Second World War, but they were not able to digest there, their ambitions exceeded its resources. It could no longer afford to garrison half of Europe and maintained an enormous military and police state apparatus that was unsustainable.

Soviet wealth was also largely illusory in that it was a closed economy, industry was inefficient because it had no competition to make it more efficient. Thus, when the Soviet market was opened to real competition, it proved unable to compete with much more efficient European and American production. This was much as Trotsky had predicted all along, and much as Andrei Parshev lamented would always be Russia’s fate.

The Soviet Union simply refused to intervene in the reemergence of Solidarity in Poland and Hungarian moves to independence, because they no longer had the power or desire to do so. And so, in the autumn of 1989, popular demonstrations erupted in many East German cities. The most important occurred in Leipzig, where the streets filled with people demanding democracy and an end to Communist Party rule.

On 23 October 1989, thousands of people demonstrate in the ‘Monday demonstrations’ in Leipzig against the policy of the East German Government. This contributed to hastening the process of German unification.
On 23 October 1989, thousands of people demonstrate in the ‘Monday demonstrations’ in Leipzig against the policy of the East German Government. This contributed to hastening the process of German unification.

Soviet Premier, Michail Gorbachev, told the Communist Party that they would no longer support them. With startling swiftness, the Communist leaders of the East German government resigned, making way for a younger generation of Communist Party members. These new leaders, who remained in power for only a few weeks, promised political and economic reforms. They convinced few East Germans, however, and the emigration to West Germany continued.

German unification is complete

In November 1989, in one of the most emotional moments in European history since 1945, the government of East Germany ordered the opening of the Berlin Wall. Tens of thousands of East Berliners crossed into West Berlin to celebrate, visit families, and to shop with money provided by the West German government. Shortly thereafter, free travel began between East and West Germany.

These changes were reflected also in the stance of the international community. Late in 1989, the ministers of the European Economic Community accepted in principle the unification of Germany. This led to reunification becoming a foregone conclusion by February 1990, accepted by the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and France. Soon after, the Communist government of East Germany, after failing to reorganize itself, was swept away in free elections.

The revolution in East Germany had broad ramifications for international relations. The citizens of the two Germanies were determined to reunite. With the collapse of the Communist Party government in East Germany, there was no longer a viable distinction between them. Today, thanks to this spirit of unification of the German people, we can celebrate the 30th anniversary of German Unity.

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Tobias Lundqvist

CNC-Operator poring over maps and dusty books in his spare time. Loves writing about history, especially Antiquity and the World Wars.

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