Introduction - solving the German problem; when did the Cold War end?; revisiting the German question; the fall of Ostpolitik and the Berlin Wall; the goal becomes unification; the process becomes the two plus four; the design for a new Germany; friendly persuasion; the final offer; Germany regains its sovereignty; epilogue - Germany unified and Europe transformed.
[A]s a work of diplomatic history it is nothing short of
monumental. By virtue of having been active participants in the
innermost circle of American decision making...the authors offer us
a gem of a study in two related ways. First they draw on a bevy of
primary documents from U.S., Russian, and German sources that have
hitherto eluded everybody else and which, alas, will remain, at
least in part, elusive to mere mortals for years, maybe even
decades. Second, to the authors' great credit, they have succeeded
in harnessing the richness of their detailed data to write a
veritable page-turner. Anyone interested in recent politics...will
find reading this book a truly rewarding experience...Simply put,
this book offers an insider's look at the innermost workings of the
top elites of the United States, the Soviet Union, West Germany,
East Germany, Britain, and France in the forging of a united
Germany...Rather than a book of political science, one should see
the Zelikow/Rice study as a fas
[I]t is the book's 'insideness', the extent to which the authors
were not merely observers but participants in the negotiations,
which gives it its value. The book is rich with quotations as well
as anecdotal evidence.--Hugo Miller "Historical Journal "
[This] book is remarkable indeed, and very exciting...This superb
piece of contemporary historiography will be indispensable to all
students of Germany's unification, and powerfully assists our
understanding of how the Cold War ended and the New Europe' of the
1990s came into being.--Roger Morgan "International Affairs "
A work of scholarship...written with the conviction and excitement
which derive from direct involvement in the events described...Not
the least illuminating aspect of "Germany Unified" is the light it
throws on the respective contributions of politicians and of
officials, in the US, Germany and elsewhere, to the
drama...[E]ssential reading for anyone concerned with the conduct
of foreign policy today...It is gratifying that events of this
magnitude should have elicited a record of this quality. Read
it.--Michael Alexander "Royal United Services Institute Journal
"
Can nations learn from history? If so, why in [the case of German
unification] and not in others? How could German unity be achieved
at all, given a long-established (but rarely expressed) conviction
among the influential that it could make 'everything' break
down?...Those seeking answers to these questions have a new study
to turn to, in many ways the best so far, written by Philip Zelikow
and Condoleezza Rice on the unification of Germany and the various
bilateral and multilateral negotiations that surrounded it...The
authors were members of the National Security Council in the Bush
administration, and thus participated directly in the
decision-making process and diplomatic events surrounding German
unification. Equally important, the book is based on the US
government's 'official history'--traditionally composed after
important negotiations--with its privileged access to all records
of conversations, telegrams and Central Intelligence Agency
documents. Zelikow wrote that history and
For the first time, the inside story--what the policymakers thought
and did behind the scenes--is recounted by two participants, using
interviews and secret documents...[The book] conveys the sweeping
changes devised by a handful of leaders and their aides as they
sought to capitalize on a rare, momentary acceleration of history.
It also captures the candid exchanges among leaders about
long-range fundamentals in Europe."--Joseph Fitchett "International
Herald Tribune "
Point after point the two authors list, at every step supporting
their assertions and interpretations with documents and interview
material...The two show two kinds of insights into the events of
the eleven months between the fall of the Wall and the conclusion
of the '2+4' Treaty: First Zelikow and Rice succeed in pulling off,
what most as a rule portray superficially or through colorful
personality publications about the international dimension of
German unity, a work of undeniably long, continuing value. Thereby
they do not just settle for the saying, 'documents don't lie, ' but
always try again and again to cross-check their study of the
documents and hard-won knowledge from their experience with
interviews of the actors in the international negotiations. Second,
Zelikow and Rice show clearly that accurate historical writing
cannot just be done on the basis of memoirs...and newspaper
articles.--Peter M. Wagner "Die Welt "
The book is a rich quarry for contemporary historians...[The]
accomplishment [of German reunification could not] have found more
astute chroniclers than Zelikow and Rice..."Germany Unified and
Europe Transformed" will for many years remain the definitive
treatise on German reunification and on a brilliant chapter in the
annals of American statecraft. Indeed, it will--or at least
should--be read as a standard textbook.--Josef Joffe "Foreign
Affairs "
The book is full of fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpses and
anecdotes that bring to life the tremendous problems and the
personalities, many of whom are now part of history, involved in
those momentous months of intense negotiations...[Zelikow and Rice]
have produced a detailed yet highly readable and informative work
that no student of international politics should miss.--John Taylor
"Political Studies "
This is a remarkable book for a number of reasons. The first is
because Philip Zelikow and Condoleezza Rice take a complex
story--the peaceful reunification of Germany within the Western
alliance--and turn it into a suspenseful, engaging, and
illuminating account of successful statecraft...This book will long
stand as the definitive account of a diplomatic success
story.--Thomas Alan Schwartz "American Historical Review "
Zelikow and Rice have drawn on thousands of still-classified
documents in the American archives. But their industry has not
stopped there: to tell the Soviet and German sides of the story,
they consulted the East German and Russian archives and interviewed
a host of European leaders. The quality of their writing and the
depth of their research ensure that their exemplary study will
serve as the starting point for all future work on German foreign
policy after the Cold War.--Jacob Heilbrunn "New York Times Book
Review "
An important behind-the-scenes account of how East Germany was
folded into West Germany at breakneck speed--an event that
precipitated the demise of the Soviet Union. The authors, both of
whom served on the National Security Council in the Bush White
House, persuasively argue that, far from being a passive bystander,
the Bush Administration was actively involved in stage-managing the
denouement of the Cold War. They also argue that the historic
opening of the Berlin Wall, in November 1989, was actually the
result of a bureaucratic error.
devised by a handful of leaders and their aides as they sought to
capitalize on a rare, momentary acceleration of history. It also
captures the candid exchanges among leaders about long-range
fundamentals in Europe."
dull products of contemporary political science scholasticism in
the US and Europe.
intense negotiations...[Zelikow and Rice] have produced a detailed
yet highly readable and informative work that no student of
international politics should miss.
interviewed many key figures in the decision-making arena. The
result is a detailed and fascinating account of behind-the-scenes
discussions and deliberations.
interviews with many of the players to describe the unification of
Germany, itself one of the most remarkable events of the postwar
world...In its scope, insight, and suspense, this account sets a
standard for the genre.
policy today...It is gratifying that events of this magnitude
should have elicited a record of this quality. Read it.
suspenseful, engaging, and illuminating account of successful
statecraft...This book will long stand as the definitive account of
a diplomatic success story.
than a book of political science, one should see the Zelikow/Rice
study as a fascinating play whose outcome one knows yet whose
players one gets to meet only through the details of this
study.
the historic opening of the Berlin Wall, in November 1989, was
actually the result of a bureaucratic error.
the Cold War ended and the New Europe' of the 1990s came into
being.
their experience with interviews of the actors in the international
negotiations. Second, Zelikow and Rice show clearly that accurate
historical writing cannot just be done on the basis of
memoirs...and newspaper articles.
ÝA¨s a work of diplomatic history it is nothing short of
monumental. By virtue of having been active participants in the
innermost circle of American decision making...the authors offer us
a gem of a study in two related ways. First they draw on a bevy of
primary documents from U.S., Russian, and German sources that have
hitherto eluded everybody else and which, alas, will remain, at
least in part, elusive to mere mortals for years, maybe even
decades. Second, to the authors' great credit, they have succeeded
in harnessing the richness of their detailed data to write a
veritable page-turner. Anyone interested in recent politics...will
find reading this book a truly rewarding experience...Simply put,
this book offers an insider's look at the innermost workings of the
top elites of the United States, the Soviet Union, West Germany,
East Germany, Britain, and France in the forging of a united
Germany...Rather than a book of political science, one should see
the Zelikow/Rice study as a fascinating play whose outcome one
knows yet whose players one gets to meet only through the details
of this study. -- Andrei S. Markovits "International Relations"
ÝI¨t is the book's 'insideness', the extent to which the authors
were not merely observers but participants in the negotiations,
which gives it its value. The book is rich with quotations as well
as anecdotal evidence. -- Hugo Miller "Historical Journal"
ÝThis¨ book is remarkable indeed, and very exciting...This superb
piece of contemporary historiography will be indispensable to all
students of Germany's unification, and powerfully assists our
understanding of how the Cold War ended and the New Europe' of the
1990s came into being. -- Roger Morgan "International Affairs"
A remarkably complete history of the reunification of East and West
Germany...The book is very well written and exhaustively
researched. It may well become the standard account of a landmark
event of 20th-century European history
A valuable, highly readable contribution to the literature on
German reunification.
Can nations learn from history? If so, why in Ýthe case of German
unification¨ and not in others? How could German unity be achieved
at all, given a long-established (but rarely expressed) conviction
among the influential that it could make 'everything' break
down?...Those seeking answers to these questions have a new study
to turn to, in many ways the best so far, written by Philip Zelikow
and Condoleezza Rice on the unification of Germany and the various
bilateral and multilateral negotiations that surrounded it...The
authors were members of the National Security Council in the Bush
administration, and thus participated directly in the
decision-making process and diplomatic events surrounding German
unification. Equally important, the book is based on the US
government's 'official history'--traditionally composed after
important negotiations--with its privileged access to all records
of conversations, telegrams and Central Intelligence Agency
documents. Zelikow wrote that history and was allowed to use it as
the basis for this study, which he co-wrote after both he and Rice
had interviewed many of the major actors involved and consulted
governmental archives not only of the defunct German Democratic
Republic but also of the Soviet Union, to which they were given
access...The study is written in the best traditions of historical
sociology. It analyzes negotiations and examines the motivations of
governments, the role of individuals, and the internal economic,
political and social situations. Overall, it provides fascinating
reading and a welcome respite from the increasingly dull products
of contemporary political science scholasticism in the US and
Europe. -- Karl Kaiser "Survival"
In one of the most extraordinary accounts of contemporary
diplomatic history, Zelikow and Rice, both on the National Security
Council staff during the events they describe, use normally
inaccessible records and interviews with many of the players to
describe the unification of Germany, itself one of the most
remarkable events of the postwar world...In its scope, insight, and
suspense, this account sets a standard for the genre.
This book is an exhaustive investigation into the delicate
diplomatic maneuvering that led to the creation of a unified
Germany in 1989-1990. The authors studied American, German, and
Soviet documents and interviewed many key figures in the
decision-making arena. The result is a detailed and fascinating
account of behind-the-scenes discussions and deliberations.
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