first German division (1949-1989)
German states in the zones occupied
After the end of the Second World War, the defeated German Reich in 1945 was first divided into occupation zones. After the concession of the acquired territories after 1937, and the Saar to France, Heligoland to the UK and also top- and Lower Silesia, Pomerania and East Prussia under the administration of Poland and the Soviet Union in the four zones of occupation in the West first three, five countries formed in the east (and the city states of Hamburg, Bremen and Berlin), at the boundaries despite boundary changes after 1948 and 1990 the boundaries of the provinces oriented. In 1949 the two countries of Germany and German Democratic Republic was constituted. During the Cold War, both states were within their respective political alliances hostile to the United States and Soviet Union superpowers opposite. Ever since the mid-1950s schottete the GDR from its territory against the Federal Republic by the military fortress of the inner-German border, the high point and completion of construction of the Berlin Wall on 13 August 1961 constituted.
Berlin Wall in 1980
Saarland (see separation of the Saar in 1945) was after the founding of the Federal Republic of France was transformed into an autonomous protectorate, with strong economic, but not political and legal unity with France; It had such a state, its own passports, government and currency. In 1955 the Saar statute was rejected, was to solidify that situation. Then decided to France and the Federal Republic in the Saar Treaty of Accession to the Federal Republic under Article 23 Basic Law, which was also used later for the GDR. After the Saar Treaty of 27 October 1956 by the Saarland parliament has ratified the Saar area since 1 January 1957 a federal state [5] of the Federal Republic of Germany. The economic entity with France ended on the 5th July 1959, whereupon the Saarland from the sixth July 1959 also economically back of the Federal Republic Germany was annexed. France retained, however, in Article 83 for 25 years, the right to receive one third of the Saar coal. In addition, the Federal Republic committed to the development of the Upper Rhine and Mosel. The smooth implementation of the Luxembourg Saar Treaty facilitated the progress of the crucial Franco-German reconciliation.
also a degree of political relaxation in the course of Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik New from the early 1970s, could not overcome the German division. Proponents of Brandt's policy to emphasize, however, that the relief gained have (easier visitation) reduced the division something.
The economic situation of the GDR in the 1980s increasingly threatening for the entire state. Increasingly clear was that the economic and social system of the GDR's social, political and economic rights of its citizens could not be just and the leadership under Erich Honecker ignored the desire reform. Not coincidentally falls in this period, a significantly increased Importance of civil liberties and human rights groups. This called for political and personal freedom and respect for human rights. The number of people who grew up in, no longer believed in the ability to reform their government, so their state in general and their protest and indignation by the exit points of applications or even by the so-called "Republic of flight" in the Federal Republic of printouts ckten. This reaction was also known as "voting with their feet".
· economic weakness, particularly against the Federal Republic, the GDR's planned economy crisis, inadequate supply of everyday goods (eg spare parts, machinery, building materials), embargo policy, imminent collapse of government finances including the insolvency of the GDR
· ; violation of civil rights such as freedom of expression, travel and freedom to demonstrate
· state repression, particularly demonstrated by Stasi spying
· election fraud, by civil rights groups for the first time in the local elections on 7 May 1989
· inability to reform the outdated SED leadership (as opposed to later CPSU under Gorbachev)
· concurrent and similar events in other socialist countries
The East German government tried on the one hand, the looming escalation of the situation by accommodating to meet, for example by facilitating travel for visiting relatives in the Federal Republic. On the other hand, they reacted with extreme insistence on old patterns of exercise of power. Significant examples include the holding at the Berlin Wall and the unperturbed continuing intensive planning for the celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the founding of the GDR - despite taking place simultaneously throughout protest parades. The very expensive perceived as inappropriate DDR birthday celebrations stoked the anger of citizens, the state reformed its democratic and wanted to see not glorified.
second reunification on 3 October 1990
On 3 October 1990 with the accession of the GDR was founded on the territory of the countries on the scope of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany completed the reunification of Germany and the GDR dissolved so that by the decision of its own legislature. The settlement agreement became effective on that date because this was the earliest possible date for the execution of the unit, the Cabinet did before the CSCE foreign ministers' conference on the results the Two-Plus-Four Talks inform. This conference should be on 2 Taking place in October. The 3rd October was adopted in the settlement agreement as the "Day of German Unity and National Day, replacing the" old "Federal Republic as a legal holiday on the 17th June, the former "German Unification Day" to commemorate the popular uprising in 1953 in the GDR.
On 22 July 1990 by the People's Chamber, the Constitutional Law on Education adopted by countries in the GDR, after the with effect from 14 October, the five states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, on 25 July 1952 had been dissolved, have been founded. The Unification Treaty, the founding countries of the 3rd October, the day of reunification, preferred. The reunited city of Berlin, now provides its own country and in the Unification Treaty was declared the capital of Germany. Bonn in 1949 had been declared a merely temporary capital, after making controversial debate, the Bundestag decided in the capital of Decision 1991, Berlin is also the seat of parliament and government and their relocation to 1999 complete, all ministries should also keep a service based in Bonn. The Office Neuhaus decided in 1993 to return to Lower Saxony, from which it was separated after the Second World War.
From the perspective of the Federal Republic of Germany
In West Germany had much of the population since the mid-seventies (and the mutual recognition of the two German states) to and from the political reality a division of Germany to terms and reunification in the foreseeable future, no longer regarded as feasible. Were therefore surprised to West Germans when the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989 and during the following year the unit moved into ever more tangible proximity.
addition gratitude of the historical development occurred sporadically but also the suspicion that the high economic standard of the West - especially after the first photographs of the East German industrial areas - the physical and psychological legacy of the ailing state economy vascular solid tially could be. Cheap, could promise seducible consumption by migrant workers from the east to the west also endanger hard-won collective achievements. Especially in the SPD, there were negative votes, and their top candidate, Oskar Lafontaine, proposed in 1990 shortly after the Berlin Wall on 25 November 1989 in the Süddeutsche Zeitung before, "the citizens of East Germany will no longer be treated as a German within the meaning of the Basic Law. After the opening of the wall they could access the social systems of the Federal Republic no longer be kept open. "Willy Brandt tried in vain to his party comrades Lafontaine, Gerhard Schröder, Günter Grass and win for the reunion, so there was the attitude of the party uniform. Even Joschka Fischer said after 9 November in the left taz under the heading "threatens the reunion?" That the reunion will have to wait at least another 45 years.
outcome of the federal election in 1990 in West Germany and West Berlin: Turnout 78.6%, SPD 37.5%, CDU 37.2%, CSU 9.2%, 5.5 B90/Grüne %, FDP 6.8%, PDS 0.0%, Other 3.8% [16].
From the perspective of the German Democratic Republic
The East German government and its institutions have seen because of the financial collapse of the communist system, no Mo ; opportunity to maintain the status quo, as Erich Honecker, the key proponents of the failed system, 18 October 1989 resigned, the SED was under Egon Krenz on 8 November closed back and allowed the opening of the wall and free elections. Although well-known intellectuals the GDR for political reform in the GDR recruited, the majority of East Germans hoped for German unification. This was also requested loudly in the Monday demonstrations.
won in the only free election in East Germany in March 1990, the Alliance for Germany, the CDU, Democratic Awakening and the German Social Union, under Lothar de Maziere, who wanted to achieve as quickly as possible reunification.
fear or reservations about the abolition of the security of the socialist system did have some in the GDR, particularly in the SED-PDS, Gregor Gysi, but overall this was only a small minority, the social market economy in the West seemed fairer than the lack of supply of socialism and opposition to the reunification of the people and politics was much weaker than in the West. After the reunification, the CDU made repeated at the first all-German elections on 2 December 1990 victory of the last parliamentary elections in March 1990 and the election 1987th The SPD had complained about the early election in vain, however, the CDU won by promises of blooming landscapes in the east, which were described by economists as unrealistic.
result of the election in 1990 in the new Länder including East Berlin: Turnout 74.5%, SPD 25.4%, CDU 42.8%, Greens 6.2%, FDP 11.7% , PDS 11.7%, other 2.3%.
The Soviet Union was the decisive state that could decide the development of the GDR and the reunification of without their consent could precede it. It consisted initially on the formation of a neutral Germany, and warned the two German states before going it alone. In the summer of 1990, Mikhail Gorbachev was after many discussions with Bush and Kohl on this position but approved and the German reunification and sovereignty and respect the decision on their future political orientation; Gorbachev have approved ndnis was the most important, and the influence of his wife Raisa Gorbachev Maximovna and personal relationship with Helmut Kohl played an important role. Germany pledged to provide financial support of Russia in Return of its soldiers abandoned and the possession of its own nuclear, biological or chemical weapons.
third After reunification until 1994
The 1990s showed that the economic, social and monetary union, with effect from 1 July 1990 was in force, was an action was, that was politically correct and necessary though - because even called in the GDR great chanting: "Does the D-Mark, we remain, it does not come , let's go to it "- in return but to an almost complete breakdown of the backward economy led. This resulted not only from the disregarded whereas virtually all machines were outdated and did not came fourth in the 1930s, but also from the fact that the existing markets in the former CMEA countries (COMECON) replacement wegbrachen because until then used actual exchange economy and accounted for was the need to pay (which are not sufficiently available) foreign exchange. As one of the main reasons for the slow convergence of living standards called Uwe Mueller [22] that the whole of German history in single transfers not changed the heart of the matter, namely that companies and people who had made up East Germany in 1945 for corporate activities in the kingdom had emigrated since the establishment of the SBZ in the Federal Republic. This was particularly difficult by the fact that all large corporations (such as Dresdner Bank, Alte Leipziger and Zeiss), with their suppliers, the busy region, were not pulled away and returned after the reunification. And in spite of lower wages, unemployment has increased. The very interesting for the economic workforce was migrated from East Germany, but 1945-1961 2.5 million, despite the wall also walked after that from people. A satire site, writes in the currently ongoing development would be deserted hall already in 2068, because 1990 was one in three already left. That these are not just big numbers is to recognize the deteriorating social situation, young people, especially well trained in general and women in particular are emigrating, making the demographic problems of an aging population are already in sight, each year about 50,000 people.
An important step was the immediate Beginning the investigation of crimes by the state apparatus. The most comprehensive collection of data about the documents of the Ministry for State Security, which are backed by the authority of the Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service of the former German Democratic Republic with the objective of fully opening the file should. Many documents were shredded or burned and are to be restored by this office.
There were economic problems of East German companies due to lack of investment opportunities, the resulting outdated technology and the very labor-intensive manufacturing. The consequences are still felt, and in the coming decade, wages and investment returns are far behind those in western Germany.
A big problem was the collapse of the Soviet bloc total dar. most important trading partner for the East German economy has so far been the USSR. Following the introduction of DM in the former East Germany and especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union, however, that market disappeared completely. Economically, this was especially damaging politically motivated and demanded by the population exchange rate that was next to an age-related base amount of 1:1 the value of DM 1 to 2 marks of the GDR. A real exchange rate was the lack of convertibility of the GDR-Mark does not, the courses on the gray market, but fluctuated in the range of 1:6 to 1:9 (in the banks in the GDR). The debts of the company were converted at 1:2, although justify wertmaßstäblich been at best a rate of 1:4 would be. He provided that the cost of labor in East Germany before the national unity so exploded that the competitiveness of most companies has been severely disrupted.
The premises of the conglomerates, which included almost all establishments were often torn was strong locally, both were worn out buildings and plant and out of date. The structural change brought about the unbundling of large conglomerates, the transformation in medium and small enterprises and the closure of many factories. Responsible for the privatization was the Treuhand. Companies from the West usually had no interest to take over farms or continue. The job losses were enormous. The official unemployment rate reflects the reality that time does not reflect, as workers in "short-time zero-hour", the "holding pattern" in job creation schemes and early retirement did not run as unemployed in the statistics.
led For example, the inclusion of agriculture in the agricultural policy of the European Union the closure of agricultural land. In many villages and towns were industrial sites to the closure of establishments. This was called de-industrialization, although this term in principle a further development, a tertiarization to a service economy, represents. In some regions broke away entire industries, as these in a market economy over the competition could not keep up - too high costs of labor and the simultaneous production of products that were made to non-competitive prices and with obsolete equipment. This led to others that ended the long tradition of the East German metal mining 1991st
Demographic development after the reunification
for unemployed people, there was then little more employment alternatives, as new investments did not create enough new jobs. The reasons associated with this utter collapse of the old East German economy finally led to a migration process of historic proportions. returned alone from 1990 to 1991 two million East Germans back to their homeland and migrated in search of work in the western states.
The reunion was for the German government already in these first years of a major financial challenge. Was the government under Chancellor Helmut Kohl at first claims to be deemed to be able to pay the consequences of reunification "from petty cash," revealed very quickly that to be paid expenses exceed all previous performances wü . Earths first fixed - - solidarity surcharge on income tax, while the fuel tax as of 1 for necessary funding was therefore a July 1991 increased to a blow to the hitherto unheard of and still not reached again worth 22 Pfennig (around 11 euro cents) per liter of gasoline, the additional sales tax charged by the actual increase was about 25 Pfennig (about 13 Euro cents).
1995 changed key aspects in the reconstruction of the East called process: On the handling of the trust and the end of the German Unity Fund (height: 82 billion DM) met the Solidarity Pact, known since 2004 Solidarity Pact I. Moreover, the election changed the balance of power in 1994, the black-yellow coalition lost its influence. Criticism of the unit changed, especially past and current decisions have been questioned, as the volume of funds were used; in 1998 uncovered fraud scandal at the trust company, is said to have caused damage 3:00 to 10:00 billion marks, was the known example.
Although the economic effects of the division will continue for decades, children and young people have lost sight of this period, the students are denied the most basic information, like the mirror on 27 December 2007 reported: lack of press and speech freedom, the difference of the Stasi to the work of other intelligence agencies, the state form of dictatorship and the death penalty in particular were in Brandenburg than half of the students known. On average, three quarters but support the peaceful end of the GDR, reunification and the need of expansion costs. Survey researchers Klaus Schroeder suspected outdated teaching materials and guidelines, ie the ministries of education are responsible for the result, and parents and teachers idealized the social aspects of the GDR, while ignoring all the negative aspects that led to the turnaround.
