HI290 History of Germany Reasons for the Collapse of the GDR Domestic Factors Economic problems Growing dissatisfaction with regime Pressure for reform International Factors Reform within the Soviet Union ID: 502425
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Slide1
1989, Reunification and the Berlin Republic
HI290- History of GermanySlide2
Reasons for the Collapse of the GDR
Domestic Factors
Economic problems
Growing dissatisfaction with regime
Pressure for reform
International Factors
Reform within the Soviet Union
Liberalisation elsewhere in Eastern Bloc
Pressure from West GermanySlide3
The International Situation
Reform in the USSR:
1985: Mikhail Gorbachev become General Secretary of the Russian Communist Party.
Perestroika
(‘restructuring’): relaxed production quotas and introduced some free enterprise.
Glasnost (‘openness’): greater freedom of the press & transparency in government agencies.1988: Withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan & 50% reduction of military presence in Eastern Europe.July 1989: End to the ‘Brezhnev Doctrine’.Reform in Poland:1980: Solidarity formed in Lenin shipyard in Gdansk.1988: Nation-wide strikes force regime into negotiations with the opposition.March 1989: Sweeping constitutional reforms agreed.June 1989: Communists rejected in first free election since 1939.Reform in Hungary:1980s: Reformers within the Communist Party introduce limited economic liberalisation.1988: Elderly Janos Kadar removed from office & reformers seize the upper hand in the Politburo.January 1989: Extensive political reforms agreed, including opening borders with the West.May 1989: opening of border with Austria provided an escape route for thousands of East Germans.
Gorbachev and
Honecker
during Gorbachev’s visit to the GDR in 1989. The smiles and handshake belie the tension between the two.Slide4
The Collapse of the GDR
May 1989: Hungary opens its border with Austria – hundreds of Germans on holiday in Hungary take the opportunity to flee to the West.
Mass exodus of East Germans begins, with frustrated escapees taking refuge in West German embassies in Prague
and
Warsaw.
Opposition groups begin to organise – new East German Social Democratic Party founded in July, calls for an end to the single party state in August, New Forum formed in September, Democratic Beginning in October.October 1989: Gorbachev visits East Berlin – scuffles between police and protesters. 9 October 1989: 70,000 protesters demonstrate in Leipzig.19 October: Honecker removed for ‘health reasons’ and replaced by Egon Krenz.Slide5
The Fall of the WallSlide6
Steps towards Reunification
An upsurge of German nationalism and calls for
reunification after the fall of the wall
– the protesters’ slogan changes from
‘We are the people’
to ‘We are one people’.Reform in the GDR:Egon Krenz too closely associated with the old regime and resigned after only 44 days. Replaced by Hans Modrow as Prime Minister.In Dec. 1989 the Volkskammer voteed to alter the constitution, ending the SED’s monopoly on power.The Politburo and Central Committee resigned, censorship ended and local party officials removed.In Feb. the SED renamed itself the Party of Democratic Socialism.March 1990: Elections in the GDR – the CDU dominated Alliance for Germany won the most seats & formed a Grand Coalition with the Social Democrats & Liberals.Economic and political collapse meant that a separate East German state was no longer viable.July 1990: Currency reform saw the Deutschmark being adopted in the East.
The end of the Cold War and American support for Kohl made reunification possible for the first time since 1945.‘Two plus Four’ talks: USA, USSR, Britain & France renouncing their rights over Germany at midnight on 1-2 October 1990.At midnight on 2-3 October the black-red-gold flag raised in front of the Reichstag building in Berlin and the GDR was formally abolished.
Party
Acronym
Seats
Alliance For Germany
CDU, DA, DSU
192
Social Democratic Party of Germany
SPD
88
Party of Democratic SocialismPDS66Association of Free DemocratsDFP, FDP, LDP21Alliance 90B9012East German Green Party and Independent Women’s AllianceGrüne, UVF8National Democratic Party of GermanyNDPD2Democratic Women’s League of GermanyDFD1United LeftVL1
Results of March 1990 elections in the GDRSlide7Slide8
December 1990 Bundestag Elections
Party
Party List votes
Vote percentage (change)
Total Seats (change)
Seat percentage
Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
17,055,116
36.7%
+2.3%
268
+94
40.5%
Christian Social Union (CSU)
3,302,980
7.1%
-2.7%51+27.7%Free Democratic Party (FDP)5,123,23311.0%+1.9%79+3311.9%Social Democratic Party (SPD)15,545,36633.5%-3.5%239+5336.1%Alliance '90/The Greens (East)559,2071.2%+1.2%8+81.2%The Greens (West)1,788,2003.8%-4.5%
0
-42
0.0%
Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS)
1,129,578
2.4%
+2.4%17+172.6%All Others1,952,0924.2% 0 0.0%Totals46,455,772100.0% 662+165100.0%
Key:
CDU – Black
SPD – Red
FDP – Yellow
PDS – Purple
Greens – Green Slide9
The Berlin Republic
1991-4
:
Helmut Kohl (CDU/CSU-FDP)
1994-8: Helmut Kohl (CDU/CSU-FDP)
1998-2002: Gerhard Schröder (Red-Green Coalition, SPD-Green Party))2002-5: Gerhard Schröder (Red-Green Coalition, SPD-Green)2005-9: Angela Merkel (Grand Coalition, CDU/CSU-SPD)2009-13: Angela Merkel (CDU/CSU-FDP)2013-Present: Angela Merkel (Grand Coalition, CDU/CSU-SPD)SPD and CDU election posters, August 2005Slide10
‘Ossies’ and ‘
Wessies
’
Source: Pew Research Centre Global Attitudes
and Trends: http://www.pewglobal.org/2009/11/02/end-of-communism-cheered-but-now-with-more-reservations/Slide11
Ostalgie
Stall selling East German memorabilia in Berlin
The old East German
Ampelmännchen
("little traffic light men”) were saved in the 1990s. Slide12
Changing Notions of Identity and Citizenship
German fans at the 2014 World Cup final.Slide13
Germany and Europe