... later the GDR would also cease to exist, its people and territory becoming part of a united Germany few believed they would live to see. The re-unification of Germany came as a shock not just to the people of East Germany but also to the wider global community. From the rumblings of discontent that began early in the year culminating in mass public demonstrations in Leipzig, Dresden and Berlin, events quickly gained a momentum of their own. Unlike the German unification of 1871, which was achieved through 'blood and iron' the East German revolution of 1989 and the process of re-unification which ensued was almost entirely free of any bloodshed. Political unity was quickly followed by economic and monetary union, leading some outsiders to comment upon the relative ease with which unity was achieved. However, Germany is still a country suffering from division, all be it internal. For all ...

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