German Unification Possible? Essay, Research Paper
??????????? There were four major groups which
played a large role in the unification of Germany in 1990 and whose actions
made this unification a possibility.?
The first of these was the Soviet Union. and in particular President
Gorbachev, whose actions in the USSR set the scene for the end of the Cold War
and made reunification a possibility.?
Second, the SED, the communist government in the GDR, which essentially
failed to react to Gorbachev?s reforms.?
Third, the people of the GDR, who became increasingly dissatisfied with
the lack of reform in the SED and soon began to act of themselves.? Fourthly, there was the government of the
FRG, under Helmut Kohl, which reacted to the changes in the GDR in such a way
as to bring about speedy reunification. ??????????? To begin, then, the role of the
Soviet Union under Gorbachev was vital in resolving many of the international
difficulties inherent in German reunification.?
Prior to Gorbachev?s reforms in the USSR, the western powers and the FRG
were unwilling to consider repeated Soviet offers to allow the reunification of
a neutral Germany.? The reasons for this
refusal are obvious.? The two German
states formed the frontline between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, and the west was
not prepared to contemplate the formation of a Germany which was not actively
involved in NATO.? Furthermore, the FRG
was committed to the European Union, and this commitment meant a westward
orientation which a neutral Germany would not be able to pursue. ??????????? Gorbachev changed this international
situation by his policies of glasnost, or openness, and perestroika,
restructuring.? His aim was to reform
the government of the USSR, but in so doing he relaxed the grip which the
Soviets had on Eastern Europe.? As a
direct result of these policies and reforms, the Soviet block in Eastern Europe
began to demand greater independence, and the Warsaw Pact began to crumble, but
there was a more immediate effect on the GDR.?
Eastern European countries, particularly Hungary, began to relax their
border controls, and suddenly Germans were able to move through eastern Europe
and into the FRG.? This resulted in a
mass exodus and a general weakening of the GDR.? For example, between the 10th September, when Hungary opened its
western borders, and the end of the month, when the GDR stopped issuing travel
permits to those wishing to enter Hungary, 25,000 people left East Germany. ??????????? The effect of Gorbachev?s reforms on
the GDR was not limited to this emigration.?
Another important element of perestroika was that Gorbachev was
unwilling to use Soviet force to support the ailing socialist regimes of
eastern Europe.? This became vital as
the protest movement within the GDR grew, leaving the people of the GDR with
only their own government and their own governments repressive forces to deal
with, rather than those of a world superpower.?
However, this was not the most important effect of Gorbachev?s reforms.? Rather, perestroika struck at the
heart of the SED government, and their reaction to it was all important in the
reunification process. ??????????? The raison d?etre of the GDR was
monolithic socialism.? Without the
single party, Stalinist political system, there was no justification for the
existence of a separate East Germany, and if the GDR were to move, following
Gorbachev, away from this system, ?there could be no realistic alternative to
unification with West Germany?[1].? The SED realised this, and consequently refused
to tread the path of perestroika.?
The SED, under its leader Honecker, did make some concessions to
reform.? Cultural ties with the FRG were
strengthened, and more and more people were allowed to visit the west -
1,000,000 in 1987 as opposed to 50,000 in 1985.? However, people trying to escape over the wall were still shot on
sight, and the Wall was still in place.?
The reforms that were made were essentially cosmetic. ??????????? The failure of Honecker to recognise
the need for change earned him a rebuke from Gorbachev (?He who comes late gets
punished by life?), who could see that the SED would have to become a reforming
party if it was to retain control.? It
also lost him the party chairmanship, as he was ousted by his colleagues.? Removing Honecker was not enough to recover
the people?s confidence in the SED, however.?
Between September 1989 and February 1990, membership fell from 2,300,000
to just 890,000.? Furthermore, the limited
reforms the SED had made, and the speeches made by Gorbachev, encouraged the
reform movement in East Germany, and led to the formation of the numerous
opposition groups which eventually led to the end of the GDR. ??????????? There can be no doubt that the
ordinary people of the GDR played a highly significant role in making the
unification process possible.? It was
large scale demonstrations by East Germans during October 1989 , and especially
the November rally which drew over a million people, which led to the
resignation of the Politburo in November.
It was opposition groups like New Forum which participated in the round
table arrangement and helped to arrange the first free elections.? Thus, it was the people of the GDR who
brought down the communists, a necessary precondition for unification. ??????????? However, the role of the people and
the opposition groups representing them did not end with bringing down the
SED.? In late November 1989, the first
rallies were held demonstrating not just for a reform of the GDR, but for
unification with the FRG.? The chant of
the demonstrators changed from ?we are the people? to ?we are one
people?.? This change in goals was
doubtless precipitated by the fact that many of the East Germans had by this
point been able to visit the West, and had seen how backward the GDR was.? However, the bravery of the protestors in
continuing to take to the streets even when there was the threat of being shot
by their own military was certainly a factor in the unification process. ??????????? These protests, as has already been
said, led to free elections being held in March 1990.? This election was perhaps the most important factor in preparing
the way for unification, since at least some of the parties running for office
were not committed to unification, but were in favour of maintaining the status
quo.? From the beginning of the election
campaign, the former SED, newly renamed as the Party of Democratic Socialism
(PDS), was ahead of the reform groups, such as New Forum, in the polls.? It is very likely that the PDS would have
won a substantial number of seats if pitted only against these small groups,
simply because the reformers were so divided.?
It is at this point that the intervention of the FRG government becomes
essential. ??????????? If a serious challenge was to be
mounted to the dominance of the PDS in East Germany, it would be necessary to have
organised parties in the elections.? The
East German Social Democratic Party (SDP) had already re-formed, having been
banned in the 1940?s, and was soon co-operating with the SPD in West Germany,
until they became one party.? This meant
that there was a strong opposition to the PDS in the running for the election,
but it is not at all clear that the SPD would have been in favour of rapid
unification.? Although the leadership of
the Eastern branch of the party was certainly looking to join the FRG at the
soonest possible opportunity, Oskar Lafontaine, the SPD chancellor candidate in
the West, favoured a different scheme which would see the two Germanys slowly
growing together.? An SPD victory could
potentially have set back unification by years. ??????????? Fortunately for Germany, a third
alternative was offered.? The CDU had
always existed in the GDR, but had been subordinate to the SED.? Now, the old leadership was expelled, and
the eastern CDU was united with its western counterpart.? Helmut Kohl, the CDU chancellor of the FRG,
organised an alliance of democratic parties, including the CDU and the free
democrats, to stand in the eastern elections, and in the end this alliance won
enough votes to be able to form the first democratically elected government of
the GDR.? In this, it was the
unification issue which was most important.?
The voters knew that Kohl stood for rapid unification under a capitalist
economic system, and decided that this was the way they wanted to go. ??????????? Kohl and his government continued to
have a large role in the unification process.?
They had reacted successfully to the emergence of democracy in the GDR;
now they reacted with equal success to the request of Lothar de Maziere, the
first CDU chancellor of the GDR, for entry of the east German states into the
FRG.? Arguably, had an SPD government
been in power in Bonn, unification would not have occurred, since Lafontaine
was committed to a ?go slow? approach to the issue.? Indeed, it is likely that the majority of politicians, CDU or
otherwise, would not have handled unification in the way Kohl did, since it was
he who took the risk of allowing economic union to precede political
union.? While many believed that this
course of action would lead to people simply taking their Deutschmarks and
ignoring the issue of political unification, Kohl recognised that economic
union was needed immediately to attempt to turn around the economic crisis that
was occurring in the GDR.? Thus, the
vision and courage of Kohl were essential to the unification process. ??????????? In conclusion, three things were
needed in order to make unification a possibility.? Firstly, the relaxation of Soviet control, which was granted by
Gorbachev, perhaps by accident, through his programmes of glasnost and perestroika.? Secondly, the overthrow of the SED in East
Germany, which was achieved by a combination of the party leadership?s own
ineptitude and the demonstrations of the people of the GDR.? Thirdly, it was essential that there be a
pro-unification government and chancellor in Bonn, with the vision to undertake
the unification process.? Such a man was
provided in the form of Helmut Kohl. [1] The German Polity, David
Conradt, 6th Edition, p24