inevitability of the reunification of germany (Gorbachev and migration)

Question 1

Potential Factor 1) flood of migration

Answer 1

facts-

• Before the wall had fallen, in 1987, 1.2million had the left the GDR for the FRG.
• In November 1989, 133,000 East Germans moved to the west and by January a further 60,000 had left the country
• when the wall fell, 2000 left GDR each day, integrating social elements between the two countries before economic and political factors began to be interlinked (10 point plan)
• Schabowskis travel permit in Berlin provided the first legal crossing between the east and West since their creation after WW2.
• Hungary opening its borders in May 1989 saw further migration from the soviet zone, which affected East German attitudes

The flood of migration that was centred around Berlin but also prominent in Hungary and other Eastern Europe countries was exacerbated by the fact that it was the young and skilled workers enticed into the ‘brain drain’ which meant the GDR was losing its best workers, catalysing the break down of its economy and subsequently the country

Question 2

potential Factor 1) Gorbachevs acceptance

Answer 2

Facts
-ALLOWING THE WALL TO FALL- Gorbachev’s policies of ‘glasnost and perestroika’ amounted to a lack of support from the soviets for the crumbling GDR, which included 1.5 million soviet troops remaining in their barracks as the Berlin Wall began to fall at 11:20 on the 9th November. meant inevitability because if the Soviets weren’t going to prop them up, only the west were likely to through reunification
-WORKING WITH OTHER COMMUNIST COUNTRIES
when Krenz replaced Honecker in October, he openly accepted Gorbachev’s ‘perestroika’, causing him to lift travel restrictions to other communist states without Gorbachev intervening. Between 1st-3rd November, 10,000 people travelled to FRG via Czechoslovakia. Gorbachev also successfully visited Bonn in June 1989, signalling a thaw in bad blood between east and west and political links being developed
ONCE THE WALL HAD FALLEN
- the USSR was in their own financial crisis and so were unable to provide the massive loan required to prop up the GDR. The only other viable option was allowing the East to join NATO with the west, a condition that had to be met for USA to support unity. At the 2+4 negotiations in March 1990 unification was requested by the east; Gorbachev seemed forced by the success of the ‘alliance for Germany’ and the economic unification in July 1990 meant they could no longer stall negotiations.

In the short term Gorbachev’s actions suggests he was happy to improve relations between the east and west at a suitably slow pace, and his acceptance their relationship seemingly came back to haunt him. However, in the long term, it became less and less inevitable that he was willing to accept it, and it was only inevitable because of the poor economic conditions of both the GDR and the USSR. Had Gorbachev had the financial capabilities, unification would’ve been much less inevitable as he likely would’ve taken it upon himself to prop up the GDR

Question 3

Factor 2) Other reasons for inevitability

Answer 3

Facts
-Fall of Berlin Wall; 100,000 people protesting in liebzig by 17th October which spread to 750,000 people in Berlin by the 4th of November showed the increasing demands of the east for unification with the west (one which could not be ignored as it had been by Honecker) under Krenz Schabowski initiated the travel permit, leading the the mass brain drain.

-Alliance for Germany- Kohl used his political position and twin party in the East as propaganda for a reunified Germany to gain votes for the CDU in the East. alliance for germany coalition gained 192 out of 400 seats in the 1990 march elections. This looked increasingly likely as 300,000 people in Dresden on 11th December 1989 demonstrated by waving German flags and calling for reunification.

Question 4

Factor 3) reasons for unity

Answer 4

Facts
COLLAPSE OF THE GDR (differing levels of prosperity)
-an opinion poll in Late November 1989 showed that 70% of East Germans favoured unification with the west
-west German goods flooded into the east causing economic chaos
-East Germany was economically backwards and many East Germans were fed up with having the highest pollution levels and some of the worst consumer goods in Europe (trabant car v BMW and VW)
-stasi headquarters stormed in jan 1990, GDR no longer scared of their regime
They wanted economic and social unity between the two for a fairer split of prosperity between the east and west, which would in turn improve the living standards of those in the east

Question 5

Factor 4) why unification wasn’t inevitable

Answer 5

facts-
FOREIGN POWERS
-Bush was only going to support unification if the east could join NATO; a farfetched demand considering how the Cold War had played out in the past 40 years
- Mitterand and Thatcher were not going to support any swift action towards unity because of the legacy of WW2 and the fear of another German superpower. The West had been occupied by foreign powers since after WW2 had therefore had a good amount of influence in their negotiations.
-Mitterand labelled east Germans as ‘bad germans’
-Both Britain and France, along with the president of European commission were more keen in reviving the east with loans and EU membership as a separate state, epitomising their that they would do whatever they needed to to avoid unification.

DOMESTIC POLITICAL OPPOSITION
-Not everyone in the East favoured unification; Modrow’s (SED Leader) elections in march 1990 were there to encourage a national revival of East German politics. SPD leader of the FRG Lafontaine encouraged GDR citizens to vote SPD to slow down the movement towards unification as there was a fear that it could damage the FRG economy. These ideas were thwarted however by the alliance for germany; CDU leader Mazziere formed a co-alition with the SPD and league free democrats, gaining 192 of the 400 seats

Question 6

criteria/ line of argument for Gorbachev’s question

Answer 6

In the short term, G seems willing to allow socio-political integration between the east and west to fulfil his policies of Glasnost and Perestroika; he wants people to see the benefits and success of communism. In the long term however, he is very unwilling to allow the GDR to join NATO as part of the reunification process and was more forced into it because of the crumbling GDR that he couldn’t prop up due to the soviets own financial crisis. His acceptance in the long term probably wasn’t ensuring inevitability as the socio-political unity that came following the fall of the Berlin Wall was being strengthened by the economic integration in July 1990. His acceptance probably just sped up the process of reunification as Kohl seemed to be preceding with unification at a great pace.