The extraordinary inside story of the reunification of Germany 20 years ago is covered in Der Spiegel, after the release of documentation by both Germany and the United Kingdom.
The players dwarf today's political figures, as the events and tense negotiations described dwarf today's political news.
If you have an hour, read it.
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Many thanks for your extraordinary link to the Spiegel. So, in spite of universal opposition outside Germany, re-unification took place because of 1) art 23 of the German constitution that contemplated it at the request of East Germany; 2) election victory of parties favourable to re-unification in the GDR; 3) the patent anachronism of any claim that in 1990 the 4 Allied victors might still determine Germany's future; 4) Gorbachev's acquiescence in exchange for economic support in the Soviet impending economic catastrophe, amazingly cheap at the $55bn price; and, finally 5) British subservience in the face of strong US pressure. Wow! Chapeau to Mr Kohl's vision and coolness.
The Spiegel story is unputdownable. Once read it, one's take on the issue is irreversibly changed. But I fear that nobody will want to know today, really. Hence thanks to you, HG.
I had a thread on this a while back.
The Spiegel piece is a treat in store ... now when can I find that hour (and a decent broadband connection)
ND, I'm not sure the link to your thread works.
It needn't take an hour, but I kept googling-up background and points that particularly caught my attention as I was reading it.
It is exciting, isn't it C. Grown up politics with very grown up people. Chancellor Kohl is an extraordinary man.
sorry about that -
try this
yes, a remarkable man: people who can implement a bold vision against huge obstacles are to be honoured
That is a fine thread ND. My only excuse for not citing it is that, summer having arrived lateish, I was still in villeggiatura when you posted, and missed things. (Oh alright, I was lying in a deckchair reading Tony Judt or Club Dead and vaguely thinking about the next meal).
Germany unsettles me. What happened to Germany is some kind of complex, very complex, foreshadowing of how it's going to be for us all. I'm having trouble with the mutatis mutandis aspects of Germany's experience. Experience, that is, over at least a century, indeed considerably more. And with its role now.
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