Among the last and most important vestiges of the Cold War was the German division, which figuratively divided a nation. But with the Soviet Union’s collapse, the West German chancellor took the opportunity to speak out in Helmut Kohl’s letter. This document was directed at the Soviet Leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, and demanded that he agree to Berlin reunification.
Gorbachev’s Response to Helmut Kohl’s Letter
After World War II, Germany was divided into East and West Germany between the Soviet Union and Western Powers. The division would grow further with the Berlin Wall’s creation in 1961. This was meant to prevent East Berliners from defecting towards the West and became a symbol of the broader Cold War divide between the communist East and the capitalist West. But it wasn’t just a symbolic divide, the Berlin Wall stood for 28 years separated families, and friends, and prevented East Berliners from seeing the freedom of their West Berlin counterparts.
Things only began to change in the 1980s when Mikhail Gorbachev the head of the Soviet Union. He introduced reforms like glasnost and perestroika, signaling a softer Soviet stance. However, this freedom also led to protests across the Eastern Bloc which wished to leave the union. These ended on November 9 when the Berlin Wall was removed, symbolically ending the Cold War.
West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl saw this as a chance for German reunification. He launched a diplomatic effort to convince other leaders of his plans. Some of Helmut Kohl’s letters reached Mikhail Gorbachev and George H.W. Bush, who supported them.
This led to a diplomatic exchange where Helmet Kohl’s letters created an agreement with Gorbachev, allowing Germany to unify so long as they did not interfere with Soviet politics. On October 3, 1990, East and West Germany were reunified, marking the end of Germany’s division and a turning point in European history.
The contents of one of Helmut Kohl’s letters can be seen here.
“The division of Germany and Europe is an injustice that has lasted for too long. It is our highest goal to overcome this division in a peaceful and democratic way, to bring together what belongs together, and to allow the people of both sides to shape their future freely.”
-Helmet Kohl, Former West German Chancellor
Helmut Kohl’s letters weren’t the only statements made on the Berlin Wall. JFK also released a statement when the Berlin Wall was first established.
Even before that were the statements from the Berlin Airlift before the wall came up.
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