Question

how did germany unify? who is responsible for german unification? explain in detail what we called \phase 2.\ your answer this is a required question

Explanation:

1. How Germany unified: A series of late-20th-century political, economic, and diplomatic steps merged East Germany (GDR) and West Germany (FRG). The process began with growing pressure for border opening in the GDR, accelerated by the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, and concluded with official unification on October 3, 1990, when the GDR acceded to the FRG's legal framework.
2. Who was responsible: Key actors include:

• West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl: His 10-Point Plan (1989) laid out a framework for unification, and he led diplomatic negotiations with global powers.
• East German citizens: Mass protests (like the Monday Demonstrations in Leipzig) forced the GDR government to relax border controls, triggering the fall of the Berlin Wall.
• Global leaders: Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev agreed to allow unification without military intervention, and leaders of the US, UK, and France signed the Two Plus Four Treaty (1990) to end post-WWII Allied occupation rights in Germany.

1. Phase 2 (Currency, Economic, and Social Union): This phase, implemented on July 1, 1990, was the critical transitional step before full political unification. It involved:

• Adopting the West German Deutsche Mark (DM) as the sole legal tender in the GDR, replacing the East German Mark (GDR Mark) at a favorable exchange rate (1:1 for most personal savings and wages, 2:1 for larger sums).
• Merging the GDR's economic system into West Germany's social market economy, including aligning labor laws, social welfare programs, and regulatory standards.
• Establishing joint administrative bodies to oversee the integration of East German industries, which faced immediate competition from more efficient West German firms.

Answer:

1. Germany unified through a sequence of events starting with 1989 East German protests that opened borders, followed by diplomatic negotiations, and culminating in official unification on October 3, 1990, when the GDR joined the FRG's legal and political structure.
2. Responsible parties include West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl (who led the political and diplomatic push), East German citizens (whose mass protests broke down authoritarian controls), and global leaders (notably Mikhail Gorbachev and Allied powers who approved the transition via the Two Plus Four Treaty).
3. Phase 2 (July 1, 1990) was the Currency, Economic, and Social Union: it merged the GDR's economy with West Germany's by adopting the West German DM as the sole currency, aligning social welfare and labor regulations, and integrating East German economic institutions into the West German social market system, laying the groundwork for full political unification.