On This Day: October 3, 1990 – Germany Reunification
When the Wall Fell for Good: Germany Reunification Story
The Day Germany Became One Again
On October 3, 1990, the world stood witness to the reunification of East and West Germany. After over 40 years of division, the German states would once again come together, now marked and celebrated each year under the German Unity Day or Tag der Deutschen Einheit.
Why Germany Was Divided
The aftermath of the Second World War saw Germany and Berlin split into four zones of occupation. The parts controlled by the Soviets would become the GDR German Democratic Republic, while the US, Britain, and France would create the Federal Republic of Germany. The Berlin Wall was erected in 1961 to divide the Soviet East Germany and West Berlin, and Berlin, the capital, was split, separating families, friends, and lives for almost three decades.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
The division of Cold War Germany starkly illustrated the confrontation of democracy and communism. The enormous popular protests in Eastern Germany, and the changes in the Soviet Union, brought systems in Eastern Europe to a collapse and on November 9, 1989, the Wall fell.
October 3, 1990 – The Official Reunification
The Fall of the Wall was merely a prelude to the official reunion of Germany. The newly unified nation chose Berlin as its capital and the citizens took to the streets, reveling in the German October fest, marking the joyous reunion of a once divided nation.
The Challenges After Unity
The First Steps Were Not Easy The East German economy was vastly inferior and economically dysfunctional. The people of the East grappled with adjusting to the new demands of a unified economy. After the initial adjustment, the East People and their socially weaker economy still bear a part of the economic burden. For the people, the date is a promise of a unified nation and the optimism of a new beginning.
Why This Day Still Matters
Each year, the world is shown how division is not permanent. The Berlin Wall, and the political partition that enclosed the people of Germany, showed that a wall is not impenetrable and can be undone. The 1990 reunification is a testimony to the divided nation that the circumference can be crooked and still the divides can be breached.
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