After The Wall: Eastern Germany Since 1989

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, Germany has faced complex challenges. The rapid introduction of political, economic, and social union in 1990 joined East and West in an experiment without precedent, as the former German Democratic Republic adopted the structures of the Federal Republic of Germany. Related issues include the adoption of a market economy, the opening of security police files, the role of the former Communist Party in the political system of the unified Federal Republic, and the incorporation of the East German military into that of the West.What has happened during the transition period? Focusing on the situation in eastern Germany today, almost eight years after unification, specialists from Germany, Great Britain, and the United States assess the institutional, social, and cultural changes that have occurred and speculate on prospects for the future. One of the few English-language books to concentrate on how unification has affectedeasternGermany andEastGermans,After the Wall: Eastern Germany Since 1989addresses impacts on East German society, including elites, workers, and women. Discussion of institutional changes and the marginalization of East Germans recurs throughout the volume, along with a focus on concrete achievements and successes since unification. The section on politics and economics looks at changes in local government, the Communist Party, the radical right, and economic structures. Chapters in Part Two cover changes in political culture, religion, the media, and literature. In the final section, chapters assess the integration of the East German military into the military structures of the Federal Republic (and NATO) and analyze the foreign policy of a united Germany.

Patricia J. Smith is visiting lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington at Seattle and west coast director for Partnership Initiatives, a nonprofit organization using video conferencing to promote transcontinental and trans-Atlantic discussions of international issues. She is the author of See How She Runs: Effective Political Techniques.