Marc Dierikx und Sacha Zala (Hrsg.)

When the Wall Came Down. The Perception of German Reunification in International Diplomatic Documents 1989-1990

Bern 2019

ISBN: 978-3-906051-61-1

«Ab sofort» – On 9 November 1989 the unexpected happened. After months of crisis, with tens of thousands of citizens fleeing the country through various means and routes, the government of the German Democratic Republic suddenly announced that it opened up the border crossings for travel to West Berlin forthwith.Even diplomats, proficiently well-informed, had not seen this coming. Reactions by foreign envoys expressed concerns, warning of a ‘specter of German reunification’ that might upset the stability in Europe. Promoted by the West Ger-man government in Bonn, reunification became the keyword for all subsequent developments. Suddenly, agreements signed in 1945 took on a new immediacy.Yet four decades after the end of the war, the right of the German people to self-determination was beyond dispute. The rapid pace of developments presented challenges to foreign and German diplomats alike. This volume collects perspectives on German developments from eleven countries (Austria, Canada, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States).

Erschienen als Band 12 in der Reihe "Quaderni di Dodis"

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