German Reunification Day

Well, the holiday came and went without me even (1) recognizing it was a holiday, (2) or understanding what the holiday was even about. You know things are busy when you arrive home from a business trip to find your husband at home mid-week, only for him to explain, “Honey, it’s a national holiday – today is a day off from work”.

Yea, right! I am having no days off from work just now. Yet, my curiosity made me inquire, “What is the significance of October 3 in Germany”? A quick google later, I had my answer: German Reunification Day.

German reunification took place on October 3, 1990, when the areas of the former Germand Democratic Republic (GDR / East Germany) were incorporated into the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG / West Germany). The start of this reunification process is commonly referred to as Die Wende (translated: The Turning / The Change). (For those whose history is sketchy – not sure there is anyone who needs reminding of this though - the division of Germany took place in 1949, following the division of Germany following WWII. West Germany consisted of the American, British and French Zones (without the Saarlan, which later joined West Germany after a referendum), while East Germany was formed from the Soviet Zone (without the western sections of Berlin. This day commemorates that historic event.

The cost of reunification was a heavy burden to the German economy, with reunification contributing quite negatively to Germany’s stagnating economic growth in recent years. The total costs of reunification were estimated to amount to over 1.5 trillion euros. The primary reason for the hefty price tag was the weak East German economy, especially as it stood in comparison to West Germany.

As a consequence of the reunification, most of the former East Germany has been de-industrialized, which caused an unemployment rate of up to 25% in some parts of the country. Thousands of former East Germans migrated (and still do today) to western Germany to find jobs, resulting in the loss of significant parts of the eastern work force, especially highly skilled workers, who were significantly more willing to move. Even today, the German government still allocates over €10 billion to the development of the formerly East German states every year.