Post-war German history: 1961 to reunification and beyond

What is the course about?

With the construction of the Berlin Wall, the separation of the two German states appeared complete. Their growing integration into opposing economic and geopolitical blocs pushed them further apart. Sealed off from the West, the GDR consolidated in the 1960s and permitted limited internal liberalisation. Meanwhile, after the conservative Adenauer era, West Germany experienced what many contemporaries saw as a cultural revolution. When Willy Brandt became chancellor in 1969, his Social Democrat-led government launched an ambitious domestic reform agenda and pursued improved relations with Eastern Europe, including normalising ties with East Germany.

However, the post-war era of growth and optimism ended with the oil shocks of the 1970s and the rise of left-wing terrorism. Détente collapsed with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. As East-West tensions rose and Germany seemed a potential battlefield, a powerful West German peace movement emerged to oppose the deployment of US missiles. The Green Party also rose as a new political force. In East Germany, ecological and peace concerns fostered small independent groups that began to challenge the state's monopoly on political life.

By the late 1980s, East Germany's hard-line leadership, increasingly out of step with reformist Soviet leader Gorbachev, faced growing internal dissent. More and more East Germans sought to flee the country, and a growing protest movement ultimately brought down the Berlin Wall in November 1989. Though civil rights activism had driven change, it was soon overtaken by the popular desire for Western prosperity. After complex negotiations, reunification was achieved in October 1990.

Yet the economic, social, and psychological legacies of forty years of division proved harder to overcome. Some persist even today, as a united Germany faces new challenges and approaches the end of the long Merkel era.

What will we cover?

1.    Life behind the Wall: The GDR 1960-1971
2.    The Sixties in West Germany
3.    Domestic Reform and Ostpolitik under the Brandt Government
4.    The Normalisation of intra-German Relations
5.    Economic Challenges and the Terror Threat of the 1970s
6.    The Two German States in the Second Cold War
7.    Gorbachev and the Disintegration of the GDR 
8.    1989-90: The Road to Reunification 
9.    Overcoming the Legacies of Division
10.    The Age of Merkel
 

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

•    Identify the main features, leading personalities and key stages in the development of both East and West Germany; 
•    Express an informed view about the underlying fragility of the GDR; 
•    Explain the relative stability of West Germany through serious economic and political challenges.
•    Understand the national and international complexities of the reunification process; 
•    Engage with ongoing arguments and controversies concerning the legacies of division 
 

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

The course is aimed at interested students of all backgrounds. No knowledge of German or any other special skills set is required.  An open mind and willingness to participate, respectfully, in class discussion and debate.  

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

PowerPoint-supported interactive lecture

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

There are no other costs, and students need not bring anything to class apart from an open mind and a readiness to learn.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

German history courses starting in September / October. Please see the City Lit website.