As the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Kohl was at the centre of events during the reunification of Germany in 1990. He chronicles all the political highs and lows of those days, especially focusing on the many talks and discussions with the representatives of other parties and countries, such as Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. Though the outcome of both negotiations with foreign leaders and internal political wrangling is now known, Kohl's enthralling narration gives the reader a sense of how many fortunate circumstances were necessary to reach the ultimate goal of reunification, amongst them Gorbachev's policies of glasnost and perestroika, the fact that the GDR and the rest of the Eastern European COMECON camp were in a sorry state politically and economically, and that the leaders of the United States and France closed ranks with the German Chancellor. The relationships between Kohl and his political colleagues are particularly interesting. Several times he rails against the SPD (Social Democratic Party) and the Greens, and paints them as opponents of reunification. He also criticises members of his own party who did not share his opinions.
He points out that large parts of the political class did not meet their responsibility during this historic hour - one of the many occasions where Kohl emphasises his own far-sightedness, that his adversaries had it all wrong and that only his ideas and approaches were the correct ones, and the most sensible. On an international level Kohl strictly discriminates between friend (George Bush) and foe (Margaret Thatcher), apart from Michael Gorbachev who receives a more nuanced consideration. Even though Kohl finds words of praise for some of his political colleagues, he gives a lot of prominence to his own personal success. However, there is no denying his vision, determination and skilful negotiating with the main players inside the two Germanies and abroad, with regard to the Polish question, alliance affiliations such as NATO and the European Union, and the importance of his swift action in bringing about one of the biggest and most significant historical changes in the world within the space of merely a year.
- ISBN10 1474601677
- ISBN13 9781474601672
- Publish Date 15 March 2017
- Publish Status Cancelled
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Orion Publishing Co
- Imprint Weidenfeld & Nicolson
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 384
- Language English