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Documents - End of the GDR and Unification
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1.   The Collapse of the GDR Economy (January 11, 1990)
In early 1990, the communist newspaper Neues Deutschland finally admitted the impending collapse of the planned economy. The following article attributes the impasse to specific policy mistakes....
2.   The Storming of the Stasi Headquarters (January 16, 1990)
The PDS-led government’s plan to merely restructure – rather than disband – the hated secret police [Stasi] prompted angry citizens to storm its headquarters. Their goal was to force the complete....
3.   CDU Election Promises (January 22, 1990)
After casting off its longstanding collaboration with the communist regime, the East German CDU came together with other conservative groups in a so-called Alliance for Germany. With the help of....
4.   Willy Brandt on the International Implications of Unification (February 5, 1990)
In this wide-ranging interview, former chancellor and honorary SPD chairman Willy Brandt discusses the international and domestic implications of Gorbachev’s....
5.   Election Victory for the "Alliance" (March 19, 1990)
Die Tageszeitung (taz), a left-of-center West Berlin newspaper, describes the extent of the conservative victory in the first free elections in GDR history. The article quotes surprised politicians....
6.   Results of the Volkskammer Election (March 18, 1990)
The Volkskammer election returns revealed overwhelming support for unification and a clear majority for a rapid monetary union. The "Alliance for Germany," led by the CDU, won a surprising....
7.   Charles Krauthammer on International Fears of Unification (March 26, 1990)
The conservative American columnist Charles Krauthammer discusses the international anxiety about the restoration of a united Germany, especially in Poland and Israel. He downplays the military and....
8.   Lothar de Maizière's Government Program (April 19, 1990)
Prime Minister Lothar de Maizière of the CDU presents his government program to the newly elected Volkskammer. He focuses on rapid unification but also....
9.   The State Treaty between the FRG and the GDR on the Creation of a Monetary, Economic, and Social Union (May 18, 1990)
In order to regulate the conversion from a planned to a market economy, the governments of the GDR and the FRG negotiated a treaty on the creation of a monetary, economic, and social union. The treaty....
10.   Results of the Kohl-Gorbachev Talks (July 15-16, 1990)
With U.S. support, Chancellor Kohl and Secretary General Gorbachev reached a compromise during personal talks in the Caucasus....
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