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- Title
The 10<sup>th</sup> Volkskammer of the GDR -- Just a Keen Student or a Parliament with Its Own Culture?
- Authors
Tüffers, Bettina
- Abstract
The last parliament of the GDR, the 10. Volkskammer, existed only from March to October 1990 and was undoubtedly different from those in other eastern European communist countries. This had to do with its special situation as the parliament of one half of a former united nation. After the victory of the conservatives in the election of March 1990 it was clear that the majority of voters wanted unification with West Germany according to Art. 23 of the German Constitution and as quickly as possible. This meant reunification by accession of the GDR to the Federal Republic. It was the Volkskammer's main task to organize this process. Given that the 400 newly elected MPs were completely unexperienced following the model of the German Bundestag was probably the only way to be able to tackle the problems they were faced with. But this meant too that there was little room and no time to develop own solutions to their problems. Critics saw the massive support by West German political parties and institutions as a form of colonization. And a lot of MPs too were highly critical of their work. A feeling of lack of influence and powerlessness was widespread. But, as the example of the reintroduction of the five Länder shows, both sides could pull in the same direction too. This article tries to answer the question whether this parliament was only an assiduous student of its West German master or despite the circumstances able to develop its own culture and its own pace.
- Subjects
EAST German politics &; government; GERMAN Unification, 1990; CABINET system; GERMANY. Bundestag
- Publication
Contributions to Contemporary History / Prispevki za Novejšo Zgodovino, 2015, Vol 55, Issue 3, p24
- ISSN
0353-0329
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.51663/pnz.55.3.02