Three Germanies: From Partition to Unification and Beyond

Description

Following the defeat of the Third Reich in 1945, Germany has experienced recurring turmoil and reinvention. In this ambitious book, Michael Gehler explores the political path Germany has taken since the Yalta Conference, observing the different Germanies against the background of the Cold War, European integration, and international relations. Written from an independent perspective, it provides a valuable assessment of our own times, as he shows how the three Germanies (Bonn, Pankow, and today’s “Berlin Republic”) sought to establish governments that could create stable states. Cover Title Page Copyright Page Contents Foreword 1. Occupation and the Road to Two Different German States 2. Partial Integration of the Federal Republic and the Externally and Internally, 1949–55 3. The Two German States: Bloc Building in Central Europe, 1949/55–61 4. Germany as Two States, 1961–72 5. ‘Change Through Rapprochement’: Détente and Normalization, 1972–9 6. New Confrontation, Disarmament and Erosion of the Defence Blocs, 1979–89 7. Return of the ‘German Question’ and the Unification of Germany, 1989–90 8. The Consequences and Burdens of Unity: Transformation, Stagnation and the End of the Kohl Era, 1990–98 9. The ‘Red-Green’ Coalition as a Half-way Experiment, 1998–2005 10. New Beginnings and Tradition: The Grand Coalition under Angela Merkel, 2005–9 11. From Europe’s Troubleshooter to the Continent’s Lame Duck: The Merkel Era and the Berlin Republic at a Crossroads 12. Three Different Republics: Bonn – Pankow – Berlin, Attempt at a Summary Abbreviations Bibliography Acknowledgements Index