The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall

The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall  

German Reunification

After World War two, the result was the division of Germany into two states: the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The western state was more developed, it had more attractive job opportunities, and an abundance of commercial goods was plentiful. Due to this, the Eastern German government found it difficult to compete with the West since its residents were migrating to the western state in search of better employment opportunities and higher standards of living. To stop this flow of people to West Germany, the Berlin Wall was built on 1961 August 13. However, many German citizens believed that this was a temporary separation and they would soon be reunited as a whole nation. This dream of Germans came to reality after the fall of the Berlin Wall and their reunification in 1990.

Major Problems that Emerged from German Reunification

The reunification of the two German states brought in with it social, political, cultural, and economic problems to the unified Germany. The first issue was the problem of monetary modification. Before the reunification had occurred, East Germany used Deutschmarks and Ostmarks. It was, therefore, necessary to effect a conversion of currency in order to have a common currency for the new Germany. For this reason, the exchange rate also became another challenging issue since it caused internal conflicts.

Secondly, it became difficult for the East German residents to secure jobs because they were supposed to adapt to the completely new systems. They were also considered inadequately qualified for the available new job; therefore, they lost the competition to acquire jobs to the West German citizens.

Thirdly, the East and West people had totally different mentalities. For instance, East German societies encouraged female employment, while the West German system discouraged women, especially mothers, from full employment (Becker, Mergele, and Woessmann, 2020). This generally created an overall dissatisfaction among the Germans and was observed after the reunification. Also, there existed social differences between the two states. The West was more developed and wealthier. This meant there was social discrimination among the citizens as the Westerners perceived those from the East as poor people.

The fourth problem arose when the West German citizens claimed to be compensated for their lost property. The main question was how the new German government was going to achieve this.

How some of the Problems could be avoided

Some of the problems encountered after the reunification would have been avoided if the previous governments had measured the various possible outcomes of the reunification, and attempted to provide solutions in turn. For instance, there was a need to discuss and address the issue of monetary alterations. The German citizens would have been given an opportunity to discuss a common currency for the new German. This would have, in turn, prevented the conflicts that arose.

Furthermore, it was necessary to marry the two economies of the two states. After reunification, there occurred a big economic transformation that led to conflicts. This would have been prevented if, for example, mutual businesses had been started. These common businesses would have encouraged both citizens of the East and West to work together in harmony, each party bringing in their specialized contribution. This would have also prevented the migration of the majority of eastern residents to the West because employment opportunities would be in abundance.

Conflicts arising from social differences would have been avoided through campaigns. It was necessary to educate people and create awareness about the different social and cultural differences that existed among themselves. Conducting campaigns way before the reunification would have helped in achieving social and cultural harmony.

At the moment, it was also important to use the press and the media in encouraging and promoting overall unity and patriotism in the nation. This would have succeeded in uniting all the citizens as a nation.

The “Two Plus Four” Players

The “two plus four” negotiation talks were between the foreign ministers of the two German states, FRG and GDR, and those of the four main World War Two Allies: the United States, the Soviet Union, France, and Great Britain.

The news about German reunification were received differently, as each player had their own thoughts and intentions. The Federal Republic’s intentions were to terminate the existing rights and responsibilities held by the four powers over Germany (Gallis, 1990). The United States embraced this idea of unification and even pursued a policy to give back Germany full sovereignty. The United States also assured Germany and its neighboring nations that its desires were for Europe to be politically and economically stable. The Soviet Union also embraced the notion of German unification. However, it remained concerned about the power of the remaining NATO forces. Furthermore, France anticipated an agreement that achieved unification. However, it had intentions of remaining independent in the field of security. France still encouraged German’s commitment to NATO and also to European Integration through the European Community. Similarly, Great Britain supported the unification of Germany and sought an agreement that terminated the rights and responsibilities held by the four superpowers over Germany and Berlin.

The Overall Mood in Germany

At first, the mood was euphoric, whereby the German citizens anticipated the unification of the two states into one nation. They celebrated when their dream came to reality as they had hoped for a long time. However, this mood did not last for long as social and economic tensions came in with the reunification since the West was more developed and the East was perceived as the poorer nation. On the other hand, if public rallies conducting campaigns about settling the differences between the East and West had been held, the overall mood would have remained euphoric. It was also important to encourage unity among the citizens by motivating them and implementing actions for the development of Germany as a whole nation.

In conclusion, the German reunification is a major historical event that was marked by the fall of the Berlin Wall. Despite being anticipated by a majority of the German citizens, it brought with it many social, political, and economic challenges that were complex and long-lasting.

References

Becker, S., Mergele, L. and Woessmann, L. (2020). The Separation and Reunification of Germany: Rethinking a Natural Experiment Interpretation of the Enduring Effects of Communism. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 34(2), pp.143-171.

Brockmann, S., Nisbet, H., Swales, M. and Ziolkowski, T. (2009). Literature and German Reunification.

Gallis, P. (1990). The Unification of Germany: Background and Analysis of the Two-Plus-Four Talks.

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What, in your opinion, were the major problems that emerged from the fall of the wall for the newly united Germany? Could some of these problems have been avoided?

How? In answering these questions, you must reflect upon and refer to the various events outlined in this lesson. Who were the players during the “two plus four” negotiations, and what were their interests? What was the overall mood in Germany then and how would the alternatives you suggest have affected that mood?