German Reunification Newscast

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The Reunification of Germany

What caused the reunification of Germany and how has the process impacted Germany today?

Describe what do you think is going on in this picture? Add details or change story after more of the picture is revealed.

Why do you think this is taking place?

Describe what do you think is going on in this picture? Add details or change story after more of the picture is revealed.

Why do you think this is taking place?

What caused the reunification of Germany and how has the process impacted Germany today?

The Cold War World! The “Iron Curtain” divides Europe

into two competing ideologies;

capitalism vs communism!

The Cold War divides the world!NATO and Warsaw Pact: Alliance systems of democratic West and

communist East.

QUICK RECAP!

Discuss with group members the main ideas and highlights of the “Point Alpha” homework video!

Point Alpha: Geisa, Germany

Film Clip

The Death Strip!

The Iron Curtain and the Fulda Gap!

Wolfgang Christmann: Former West German border guard

East German border guards constructing the Berlin Wall in August, 1961

East German border guard Conrad Schumann jumpingover the Berlin Wall on August 15, 1961

The Gorbachev Years (1985-1991)

Mikhail Gorbachev would become the leader of the Soviet Union in 1985. He immediately called for much needed reforms to save the floundering Soviet economy!

• Began rapid technological modernization• Tried to make Soviet Bureaucracy more efficient and responsive• Created incentives to increase worker productivity

_________________(Openness) –

Gorbachev gave freedom of

expression and information, freedom of the press, right to

criticize the government

Glasnost

Major Reforms

“Socialism with a human face”

• _________________ (Restructuring) – Reforms to democratize Soviet political system by allowing multi-candidate elections, secret ballots, and limited free market capitalism, more supply and demand, consumer goods.

Perestroika

President Ronald Reagan

“General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek

liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

- June 12, 1987

Film Clip

Freedom of Eastern Europe: The Crumbling of the Soviet Bloc

What impact will Gorbachev’s reforms and global pressure have on the Eastern European nations?

Berlin Wall

Group Assignment

Groups will use documents and videos to create and perform a news story about an event concerning the reunification of Germany!

Group #1: Leipzig Peaceful Revolution –October 9, 1989

Over 70,000 people peacefully marched in Leipzig to protest the oppressive East German government.

Mr. Sill and Irmtraud Hollitzer in Leipzig, Germany – July 2016

“In the end everything stayed peaceful; it didn’t come to an intervention of police or military…because the chief of police saw that there were

simply too many coming, many more people than expected.”- Irmtraud Hollitzer

Group #2: Fall of the Berlin Wall – November 9, 1989

Yes, he said, the government had adopted a new regulation permitting East Germans to leave the country at border crossing points. No, he didn't know if passports would be

required. But the change, he said, would take effect "immediately. Without delay."

East German spokesman Guenter Schabowski in 1989. His stunning and erroneous statement about a new East German

travel law hastened the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

Group #3: Two-Plus-Four Treaty– October 3, 1990

Two German nations plus Four world powers agreed on a plan to reunify Germany in a peaceful and humane manner.

Helmet Kohl – West German Chancellor and

architect of German reunification

Write a thesis statement that analyzes the events that led to German reunification.

25 Years Later - October 3, 2015

Group #4: 25 Year Anniversary of Reunification – October 3, 2015

What is the status of Germany 25 years after their reunification? Do Germans feel a sense of national unity?

Group #4: 25 Year Anniversary of Reunification – October 3, 2015

Click of this image to go to 25 Years of German Unification Video!

Group #5: Angela Merkel – December 21, 2015

Angela Merkel was born on July 17, 1954, in Hamburg, Germany but her father, a Lutheran pastor, moved the family to East Germany. In 1978, she earned a doctorate in physics at the

University of Leipzig and later worked as a chemist at the Central Institute for Physical Chemistry, Academy of Sciences.

Group #5: Angela Merkel – December 21, 2015

In 2005, Angela Merkel became Germany's first female chancellor and the first former citizen of the East Germany (GDR) to lead the reunited Germany. Merkel

was sworn in for a third term in December 2013.

The “Merkel diamond” or "Triangle of Power” is the signature gesture of Angela Merkel, which

represents an steady leadership.

Group #5: Angela Merkel – December 21, 2015

“"Whoever decides to dedicate their life to politics knows that earning

money isn’t the top priority."

Group #6: Crossfire Debate - Present Day Germany

When reunification of Germany occurred in 1990, Chancellor Helmet Kohl promised, “flourishing landscapes” and his predecessor Willy Brandt stated,

“What belongs together, will grow together.” 25 years later, does Germany feel united? What are the costs and benefits of reunification?

Group #6: Crossfire Debate - Present Day Germany

Colonel Chris Hadfield's photograph of Berlin at night shows a divide between the whiter lights of former west Berlin and the yellower lights of the east.

Group #6: Crossfire Debate - Present Day Germany

Is German reunification a model for Korean Unification?

The Reunification of Germany

Write a thesis statement that analyzes the impact of German reunification 25 years later.

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