What was the practical reason for East Germany to reunify with West Germany?
Upvote:0
It wasn't up to the East German government to decide any more. Contrary to popular perception, it also was widely controversial within both the East and West German populations. I lived in Berlin at the time and saw it first-hand. The West Germans were concerned about the cost, and the East Germans were concerned about losing their identity, although they also hoped for a much improved economy.
The clause in the West German Grundgesetz that ostensibly mandated reunification could have been changed as circumstances changed.
The real reason for reunification was simple power politics: Helmut Kohl was deeply unpopular at the time and on the verge of losing the next election. He needed access to a new loyal voter pool.
Upvote:6
Well, I would say that the main reason for this reunification (apart from the 40 years of Cold War, Ostpolitik, "Star Wars", Oil price boom etc) was that the Bundesrepublik Deutschland (German Federal Republic, a.k.a. West Germany) had written in its Constitutional Law (Germany has no Constitution) that it understood itself as the Republic of the German People.
So it was written in the constitutional law that any of the former Länder of Germany (Mecklenburg Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Saxe, Saxe-Anhalt et Thuringe) could apply anytime to membership in the German Federal Republic (even if these Länder had been replaced by the Bezirke in the German Democratic Republic in 1952).
That's why it was so easy to achieve reunification after the Wall fell.
Upvote:6
I'll look at the economics.
Despite its history of being a Soviet economic powerhouse, the economic state of the DDR was poor. The East German mark was performing badly even in the 1980s. East Germany had a GDP per capita of 6064 DM compared to West Germany's 19 864 DM, p131. Clearly the subsidy the DDR could expect as well as the competent administration they would receive would have been seen as hugely beneficial,as it turned out to be. So East Germany needed West Germany's help, but why did West Germany need East Germany? As you can see from the link at the top of the page it wasn't because they expected it to deliver short term benefits to the West Germany economy.
In that case it seems clear that the benefits to West Germany were instead political benefits, both at home and in terms of international prestige, as mentioned in this other answer. In addition, West Germany had been incorporated into NATO in 1955, and it was probably strategically desirable for its members that East Germany be incorporated into a stable, friendly NATO power (although perhaps this was balanced out be fear of German militarism) (speculative as hell).
Aside:
I've noticed Cyprus has similar issues. Turkey has changed its stance to largely pro-reunification (the analogue of the USSR losing influence), the two sides have few cultural differences, the militants have grown old, etc. The opposition for reunification now comes from the (Greek) Republic of Cyprus. It would seem prosperity makes all the difference when it comes to public support for reunification in the "senior" partner.
Upvote:8
The question could be is there any reason not to reunite GDR and FRG? These are trivial reasons why they united:
- The Soviets claimed not to intervene in any conflicts under last years of Gorbachev.
- GDR and FRG had no cultural differences since the cultural differences were erased by the past centuries of imperial Germany.
- GDR had no real reason to remain independent after the fail of the communist party. Not the Germans wanted the iron curtain, but the communist party under Soviet pressure after WW2.
- The unified country is much stronger in the European politics than the single FRG.
- The communist party itself was built up by old people, they were mostly in their 70's 80's in age, so they weren't agile and they couldn't really stop any process.
You can watch many documentaries even on youtube, the communist party power was only supported by military and police, the politicians were all old and clueless what to do, they didn't even follow what happened in USSR where Gorbachev started reforms.
More post
- 📝 Why didn't cheese spoil when it was given as rations to soldiers?
- 📝 Did anyone in Spain support the return of Alfonso XIII?
- 📝 Did the militarists in Japan look to the Nazis as a model during their takeover?
- 📝 Why has Iran's GDP shrunk over the last three decades?
- 📝 Why were the workers opposed to Hitler becoming the chancellor of Germany near the end of the Weimar republic?
- 📝 How did Castro gain control over the Cuban military and police?
- 📝 What was the purpose of the 1991 referendum on the future of the Soviet Union?
- 📝 Where was the U.S. president when Captain McGonagle was awarded?
- 📝 Where does the tradition of Christmas gifts comes from?
- 📝 Did Wilson's 'He kept us out of war' really win the 1916 Presidential Election?
- 📝 Did freed slaves keep a portrait of Abraham Lincoln on the wall?
- 📝 Financing of the Continental Army vs. Legion of the United States/United States Army
- 📝 Why did South Korea not go the same way as South Vietnam?
- 📝 What is the date of this photograph of a woman riding a horse sidesaddle?
- 📝 Do we know how much alcohol Vikings drank?
- 📝 Was Russo-Polish of 1919-1920 a war of independence?
- 📝 Were there restrictions on German refugees entering the US during World War II?
- 📝 Could Columbus have suspected the New World lay on his path to India?
- 📝 Did Hitler and Hirohito consider themselves as close allies?
- 📝 What is the impact of history on food habits in India?
- 📝 St. George's Monastery in the West Bank
- 📝 How were the Roman Triarii trained?
- 📝 Does History confirm that prosperity, capitalism, and some form "democracy" or representative republican form of government always go hand in hand?
- 📝 Did medieval kingdoms issue health related guidelines?
- 📝 Were barcodes used in the Soviet Union?
- 📝 Why was the morale of El Cid's troops always so high?
- 📝 1 coin found in Sachsen Anhalt Germany, please help me to identify the coin
- 📝 In post-WW2 Soviet Union, did most people have bank accounts?
- 📝 Where can I find the history of military uniforms?
- 📝 Why is the leap day on February 29th?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What was the practical reason for East Germany to reunify with West Germany?
- 📝 What was the reason that Poland wanted a part of Germany north of Stettin/Szczecin and west of the Oder?
- 📝 What was the reason for Soviet troops to withdraw from Yugoslavia in World War II?
- 📝 What was the economic basis for West Berlin?
- 📝 What was the legal status of an East German once he had reached West Germany?
- 📝 From 1936-45 what was the prescribed punishment in Nazi Germany for failing to join or participate in the Hitler Youth?
- 📝 What was the reason for the Ottoman empire to adopt the crescent moon as its flag/coat of arms?
- 📝 What was the reason for inflation in Britain after the Black Death?
- 📝 What was the reason for the Ottoman invasion of Otranto?
- 📝 Did the division between East and West Germany coincide with cultural boundaries?
- 📝 What was the reason for the near-mutiny on the Georgios Averof in 1911?
- 📝 What was the reason for the Dutch attack on Venezuela in 1908?
- 📝 What was the reason the Maronites lobbied for a state of Greater Lebanon?
- 📝 What was the reason for US Fed rate increase in spring 1928?
- 📝 What was the reason for Gandhi's visit to Africa
- 📝 What was the reason for the geographical error in Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech 5th March 1946?
- 📝 What was the dominant Soviet strategy for invading Germany in the 1980's?
- 📝 What was the official reason for not invading France until the middle of 1944?
- 📝 What was the reason for the ubiquitous pigeon farms in Soviet cities?
- 📝 What was the primary reason for the rise and success of the Roman republic / empire?
- 📝 What was the role of Midnapore town in present day West Bengal of India in the armed struggle for freedom in Bengal province of British India?
- 📝 During the breakup of the Soviet Union, on what basis was citizenship granted or withheld for each of the fifteen new republics?
- 📝 What is the reason for the selections of gun caliber size in history?
- 📝 What was the plan for an abort of the Enola Gay's mission to drop the atomic bomb?
- 📝 How and why was the boundary between West and East Berlin decided to be where it was?
- 📝 What was the planned line of succession for the Nazi Party in the event that Hitler died?
- 📝 What was the 1970s name for skinny jeans?
- 📝 What East German laws and regulations were extended to the West after unification?
- 📝 What were the criteria for class ranking at West Point prior to the Civil War?
- 📝 Was there a pre-determined arrangement for the division of Germany in case it surrendered before any Soviet forces entered its territory?