German unification
Subtitle: expectations and outcomes
By: edited by Peter C. Caldwell and Robert R. Shandley
Series: Studies in European culture and history
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Published: 2011
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 188
ISBN-13: 9780230120754
Subjects: Politics and government; HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century; HISTORY / Europe / General; HISTORY / Social History; Economic conditions; Social conditions; HISTORY / Europe / Germany; History
Description: "It is easy in retrospect to ascribe inevitability to Germany's unification in 1990. But in fact, such events are the product of decisions made when the outcomes of a process are not yet clear. A dramatic opening in international relations, an ongoing upheaval in East German politics that put the old state's existence into question, and an economic collapse in East Germany forced policy-makers to seek not only a way out of the crisis but also new, stable structures at all levels. This volume examines these intertwining strands, taking into account both short-term interests and the long-term consequences"--