The Rush to German Unity

The bringing down of the Berlin Wall is one of the most vivid images and historic events of the late twentieth century. The reunification of Germany has transformed the face of Europe. In one stunning year, two separate states with clashing ideologies, hostile armies, competing economies, and incompatible social systems merged into one. The speed and extent of the reunification was so great that many people are still trying to understand the events. Initial elation has given way to the realities and problems posed in reuniting two such different systems.The Rush to German Unity presents a clear historical reconstruction of the confusing events. It focuses on the dramatic experiences of the East German people but also explores the decisions of the West German elite. Konrad H. Jarausch draws on the rich sources produced by the collapse of the GDR and on the public debate in the FRG. Beginning with vivid media images, the text probes the background of a problem, traces its treatment and resolution and then reflects on its implications. Combining an insider's insights with an outsider's detachment, the interpretation balances the celebratory and the catastrophic views. The unification process was democratic, peaceful and negotiated. But the merger was also bureaucratic, capitalistic and one-sided. Popular pressures and political manipulation combined to create a rush to unity that threatened to escape control. The revolution moved from a civic rising to a national movement and ended up as reconstruction from the outside. An ideal source for general readers and students, The Rush to German Unity explores whether solving the old German problem has merely created new difficulties.

About the Author :
Konrad H. Jarausch is the Lurcy Professor of European Civilization at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and author or editor of numerous books including In Search of a Liberal Germany: Studies in the History of German Liberalism (Oxford, 1990).

Review :
"This is contemporary history at its best....Securely based on a wealth of primary and secondary sources and an in-depth familiarity with the subject, his reflective analysis is always balanced and thoughtful. The book provides interesting and stimulating reading for the scholarly as well as the general audience."--CHOICE "A good piece of contemporary history....A useful guide to a tangled, improvised history, with adequate attention to the major voices in both Germanies."--Foreign Affairs "Impressive....Filled with new information and insights...throw[s] much light upon the current complexities of the German scene."--Gordon A. Craig, New York Review of Books "The Rush to German Unity merits a wide readership. the comprehensiveness of Jarausch's research makes the book a must for scholars interested in German politics...Its lucid style makes it an excellent choice for teaching graduate students and advanced undergraduates, as well as for general reading by members of the public interested in German issues."--Slavic Review "As we have learned to expect from Konrad H. Jarausch, this book makes another critical contribution to a sujet du jour in German history...This book will stand for some time as an indispensable foundation on the newest quasi-revolution in Germany."--American Historical Review "Rush to German Unity is contemporary history at its best. It is a well crafted and vivid story that opens into a thoughtful depiction of the multi-dimensional political process. Jarausch sorts out a rich array of primary and secondary sources and is remarkably judicious and even-handed in his treatment of actors and detractors in the process of unification. While concentrating on the unfolding events, this comprehensive history places unification in the fracturous course of German history."--Michael Geyer, University of Chicago "Konrad Jarausch, a leading historian of 19th and 20th century German politics and society, has followed the developments in both parts of Germany before and after the fall of the Wall. The result is the most perceptive and balanced analysis to date of the successes and failures of the unification process."--George Iggers, Woodrow Wilson Center "The Rush to German Unity masterfully captures the images, passions, hopes, fears, calculations, and doubts of Germans East and West as they moved at breakneck speed from revolution to unity. Konrad Jarausch avoids reductionism in favor of richness and texture as he recounts the 'discoursive struggle' surrounding the events that brought German unity in 1990."--Gregory Flynn, Georgetown University "One of the most distinguished American historians of modern Germany, who was able to observe German reunification, at close range, provides a dramatic account of that process, complemented by a sophisticated analysis of the political forces behind it. An indispensable guide through the revolutionary events of 1989/90."--Volker Berghahn, Brown University "The most comprehensive scholarly account of the unification process to date is also the liveliest, conveying the flair of the breathtaking events. Jarausch's The Rush to German Unity will be an indispensable source for the understanding of the new Germany."--Frank Trommler, University of Pennsylvania "This book is the best presentation of the events from the collapse of the GDR to the German unification hitherto. The author combines his intimate knowledge of the development in East and West Germany with a weighing view of an American historian. Jarausch shows his sympathy with the citizen movement of the former GDR, but the does not conceal its weaknesses; he is enthusiastic at the call 'we are the people' and points to the one-sided capitalist process of unification."--Werner Bramke, Universitat Leipzig