How America REUNITED Germany — And Germany FORGOT

Описание: In 1945, Germany lay in ruins—its cities flattened, its economy shattered, and its future uncertain. What happened next is one of the most consequential (and least remembered) geopolitical stories of the modern era: the United States helped rebuild West Germany, kept Berlin alive during Stalin’s blockade, anchored Germany inside NATO, and then fought a global diplomatic battle to reunify Germany in 1990.

This documentary-style history breaks down the Marshall Plan, the bold economic reforms that fueled the Wirtschaftswunder (Economic Miracle), and the defining Cold War showdown of the Berlin Airlift (1948–1949)—when American and British pilots supplied a city of over two million people entirely by air, proving that the West would not abandon Berlin.

Then we jump to 1989–1990: the fall of the Berlin Wall, Europe’s fear of a dominant Germany, and the high-stakes negotiations that led to the Two Plus Four Treaty—the agreement that restored Germany’s sovereignty and made reunification possible. You’ll meet the key figures who shaped the outcome: George H. W. Bush, James Baker, Helmut Kohl, and Mikhail Gorbachev, and see why keeping a united Germany inside NATO was the central strategic question of the era.

Finally, we explore the uncomfortable aftermath—how post–Cold War security and prosperity helped create a mindset that defense and hard power were no longer necessary, why Germany’s burden-sharing debates with the U.S. grew sharper over time, and how the shock of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced a dramatic reassessment.

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