ABSTRACT
It was clear that full German reunification was all but inevitable, and all confederation ideas, predicated on a continued existence in some form of two separate German states, found their end in history's dustbin. The human exodus from East to West Germany continued, economic conditions in the Soviet-dominated German Democratic Republic (GDR) worsened steadily, and East German opinion swung clearly in the direction of unification with the West. One analyst captured the essence of international concern as follows: there are only two real certainties in European politics today: Eastern Europe has been effectively liberated from Soviet domination, and the reunification of Germany is approaching. The socioeconomic and financial aspects of unification generated far more immediate controversy, particularly among the general public, than the more technical and even obscure constitutional modalities. Moscow appeared to accept full reunification as inevitable, but continued to oppose North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership of a united Germany, until a breakthrough was reached in July 1990.
