ABSTRACT
The “German Question” is an historical phenomenon. From a perspective of almost thirty years after the establishment of two separate German states in 1949, one thing is clear: the question mark attaches to more than just the issue of German reunification. In fact the wartime agreements established very little in concrete terms concerning Germany’s future. At Yalta Germany was divided into zones for purposes of administration, with the proviso that the economy was to be treated as a single unit. However, having established this principle, the wartime allies proceeded to ignore it with respect to reparations, which were to be exacted separately in the separate zones. West Berlin subsequently found itself in the curious position of being marooned in the middle of the Soviet zone, formally denied the right to become a constituent part of the new West German state and with no legal provision for western access.
