German Reunification - A Short History | DW Documentary (2017)

The fall of the Berlin Wall changed the course of history overnight. But German Reunification was never a guarantee. The situation could have spiraled out of control at any moment. Find out more in 2 + 4 + X: A SHORT HISTORY OF GERMAN REUNIFICATION.

West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl took advantage of the chaos during this turbulent time. His 10-point plan paved the way for the reunification of a divided Germany - but this was done behind the backs of the Allied Forces. Those who witnessed the events tell the story of the “2+4” negotiations and rocky road the world took to reunite the GDR with the West.

‘Unity Day’: New Challenges Face Germany

The German Chancellor has arrived in Frankfurt which is hosting the quarter of a century celebrations of unity day. Twenty five years ago the two Germanys - East and West - were re-united into the single unified state we know today. It completed the process that started a year before with the fall of the Berlin wall. RT's Perter Oliver gauged the mood among Germans ahead of the national holiday.

Honoring the Father of Reunification: Former Chancellor Kohl Urges Merkel to 'Fight for Europe'

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Most in Germany agree that former Chancellor Helmut Kohl was a primary advocate of European unity. This week, as the country celebrates the 30th anniversary of his first election to the Chancellery, the father of German reunification urged his fellow conservatives to fight for the common currency he helped introduce.

It is seldom that leaders live long enough to witness their own induction into the annals of history. But that was the rare honor reserved for former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl this week. He took his first step into the historical sunset on Tuesday, when he visited the conservative parliamentary group in Berlin for the first time in a decade.

There, Kohl took the opportunity to encourage his center-right successors not to abandon faith in Europe and to continue fighting for the common currency. "We must preserve Europe and continue to strengthen it," he told lawmakers from his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), according to meeting participants. "Conservatives must fight for Europe," he said. Participants also said that Kohl urged Germany to have more patience with Greece as it struggles to remain in the euro zone.

Tuesday's visit to the capital was a rare outing for the 82-year-old Kohl. The former chancellor has been in fragile health since taking a serious fall in his home in 2008, and his public appearances have been limited. Furthermore, his speech, always heavily accented, has become even more difficult to understand with age.

This week marks the 30th anniversary of Kohl's first election to the chancellery, in 1982. Widely revered as the father of German reunification and as a primary mover behind the introduction of the European common currency, he will be center stage again on Thursday, when he will appear at the German History Museum in Berlin for the unveiling of a new stamp in his honor. » | cgh -- with reporting by Philipp Wittrock | Wednesday, September 26, 2012