United Germany: The Past, Politics, Prospects

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This study describes the momentous events from 1989 to 1991 that led up to German unification, explaining how and why they happened as they did, and analyzing them in relation to issues in comparative and international politics and to current theories in political science. Two specialists, one on Western Germany and the other on Eastern Germany, who were observers there during the period, provide the background for understanding trends in German and European politics in the early 1990s. This text is intended for students of European contemporary history, comparative politics and international relations. The text links the current history of the peaceful revolution in Germany to an analysis of established theories in comparative politics. An introduction provides some historical background prior to 1989. The text goes on to define conditions in the two Germanies in 1989 and then launches into a discussion about the attitudes and expectations in the West as prospects for unity dawned. Careful attention is then given to the East German revolution and the March 1990 elections. Reasons are given for plans for the early unification of the two Germanies. Then the study focuses on the Federal Republic election of December 1990. The impact of these elections and the unification process on Germany and Europe and the world in the near future is discussed at some length. An appendix provides some basic information about Germany's system of government. A selected bibliography points to important primary and secondary sources.

Reviews

"The authors have skillfully pieced together a description of the momentous events in the former German Democratic Republic that started with peaceful demonstrations against the oppressive regime in 1989 and led to unification of the two Germanys one year later. In their excellent survey, the authors emphasize the rapidly changing political scene, but do not neglect economic and social factors. I recommend this book highly for those who seek to understand the recent dramatic developments in Germany and the crucial role it will play in world affairs in the coming years."-Gerard Braunthal Professor Emeritus, Political Science University of Massachusetts at Amherst
a welcome addition to the literature on the subject of unification. . .-Conference Group on German Politics
"a welcome addition to the literature on the subject of unification. . ."-Conference Group on German Politics

Author Bio

H.G. PETER WALLACH is Professor of Political Science and Director of the European American Institute at Central Connecticut State University. He is the editor of West German Politics in the Mid-Eighties: Crisis and Continuity (Praeger, 1985). RONALD A. FRANCISCO is Associate Professor of Political Science and Soviet/East European Studies at the University of Kansas. He is the editor of The Political Economy of Collectivized Agriculture (1979), Agricultural Policies in the USSR and Eastern Europe (1980), and Berlin Between Two Worlds (1986).