ABSTRACT
This chapter aims at assessing the pluses and minuses of the Berlin-problematik over the past ten to twenty years as they might appear to the current rulers of the GDR. With this in mind, the approach taken involves a quick survey of the chief functions Berlin has fulfilled for the GDR since the end of the war. The chapter pays special attention to the way these functions have affected not only the GDR's relationship with the West, but with the Soviet Union as well. Indeed, East German and Soviet interests in Berlin have not always been identical, and their policies have on more than one occasion diverged, at times sharply. The chapter also attempts to draw up a balance sheet of the positive and negative features of the GDR's relationship with Berlin, focusing specifically on the period since the conclusion of the Four-power accord of 1971. A measure of conflict is necessary to maintain Berlin's utility as a bargaining chip.
