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German Unification, 1989-1990
The peaceful unification of Germany in 1989-90 brought a dramatic end to the Cold War.
This volume by FCO historians, comprises a collection of diplomatic documents covering British reactions to, and policy towards, the collapse of the German Democratic Republic and the unification of Germany in 1989-90.
The volume documents official British reactions to the collapse of East Germany and the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the evolution of British policy during the 'Two plus Four' negotiations that provided the international framework for the merger of the two German states.
All of the documents fall within the UK's 30-year rule and have therefore not previously been in the public domain. Most are drawn from the archives of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, but there are also a large number of Prime Ministerial files from the Cabinet Office archives. These are of particular interest for the light they throw on the views of Margaret Thatcher.
Taken together, the documents show that despite Mrs Thatcher's well-known reservations about German unity, the UK played a vital and constructive role in the negotiations that helped to bring it about.
Contents
Chapter I, April – November 1989
UK-West German relationsSigns of change in the GDR
Exodus of East German citizens
British support for German self-determination
Early discussions of German unification
Chapter II, November 1989 – February 1990
The opening of the Berlin WallGerman unification on the agenda
Helmut Kohl’s Ten-Point Programme
Margaret Thatcher’s reservations
Demands for public statement of British support
Discussions between Mitterrand and Thatcher
The origins of the Two plus Four framework
Full speed towards German unification
Chapter III, February – November 1990
Agreement on Two plus Four at OttawaThe UK’s negative image in Germany
Britain’s constructive role in the Two plus Four negotiations
The UK’s future relationship with a united Germany
Appendix: The Prime Minister’s Seminar on Germany, 24 March 1990
Mrs Thatcher’s ‘Chequers seminar’ with historians and other experts on Germany
Published by Routledge (www.routledge.com) , 11 September 2009. 528pp. ISBN 978-0-415-55002-4. £90.00
Video: Witness Seminar
Minister for Europe, Chris Bryant speaks at the Witness Seminar on the range of historical documents produced and made accessible by the Foreign Office.
