There were four crucial points of the Two
Plus Four Agreement: [1] the Oder-Neisse Line dispute, [2] the maximum size of
the reunified German military, [3] the withdrawal of the Soviet troops in East
Germany, and [4] the participation of reunified Germany in NATO. Since these
issues concerned not only individual countries, but the stability of Europe as
a whole, much discussion and negotiations were anticipated. However, due to the
preparedness of the US and West Germany, these issues were resolved fairly smoothly.
The preparation and arguments in the Agreement provide many interesting
insights.
Oder-Neisse Border Line Dispute
The Oder-Neisse Line was an issue that
concerned the USSR, Germany, and Poland. At the end of the Second World War,
the Polish territory taken by the USSR during the war was not returned by the
USSR; instead, the USSR gave to Poland the German territory that lay east of
the Line. For Germany, this meant a loss of a quarter of the territory that had
belonged to the German Empire.
The stance of the West German government on
this issue was not explicit. Nonetheless, three reasons suggested that West
Germany implicitly recognized the permanency of Polish occupation of its
eastern territory. Firstly, Brandt’s Ostpolitik proceeded under the implicit
acknowledgement of Polish occupation. Secondly, East Germany recognized the
legitimacy of the Line during its negotiations with Poland. Thirdly, the US and
major European powers gave the impression that acknowledgement of the Line was
necessary in order for German reunification to occur.
Under the Kohl government, a final
resolution was not reached until the Two Plus Four Agreement. In the Agreement,
the assembly of both East and West German politicians agreed to recognize the
legitimacy of the Line for the time being, and to reach a final agreement with
Poland through negotiations after reunification. Accordingly, Germany’s
territorial limits as set out in the Reunification Treaty did not include the
lands east of the Line.
Limiting the Size of the Reunified German Military
Another contentious issue was determining
the size of the military permitted to Germany. The goal in setting such a limit
was to prevent Germany from becoming an invader in the future. The US hoped
that Germany would be a strong military ally under NATO; in contrast, the USSR
and France supported a drastic reduction. West Germany wanted an army of
400,000 because the armies of both West and East Germany before partition
numbered 665,000; plus, the soldiers would be inexpert because they were
conscripted. The USSR intended an army of 300,000.
This issue was discussed between Kohl and
Gorbachev at the Caucasus Conference. Gorbachev insisted on a limit of 350,000,
but Kohl argued that such a drastic reduction in military size was
unprecedented among modern countries. In exchange for a limit of 370,000 Kohl
agreed not to manufacture, possess, or use weapons of a chemical, biological,
or radioactive nature.
Nonetheless, Germany recognized that a high
limit was not necessary as stability across Europe would preclude the need for
a military. There was the additional recognition that the economic costs of reunification
would make the maintenance of a large military very difficult. After reunification,
Germany maintained a standing army of less than 350,000.
Withdrawing Soviet Troops from East Germany
Prior to reunification, the USSR had placed
380,000 servicemen, and they were accompanied by an additional 160,000
including family members and support staff. West Germany had recognized that
the USSR would soon withdraw from East Germany. Firstly, the USSR began
withdrawing its forces from the Eastern Bloc following the reversal of the
Brezhnev Doctrine. Secondly, the number of deserters continued to grow, and
clashes between soldiers and civilians grew frequent. Thirdly, the weakening
Soviet economy meant that costly occupation forces could not be maintained.
Nonetheless, the West German government was
aware that a swift withdrawal of Soviet forces could force a backlash from the
hardliners within the Soviet military. Therefore, West Germany supported a
withdrawal slow enough to pacify the hardliners, yet fast enough to give
Gorbachev flexibility in performing his agenda.
At the 1990 Caucasus Conference, Gorbachev
wanted a withdrawal staged over 5-6 years, but agreed to the West German
proposal of 3-4 years. In addition, West Germany promised a sum of $9 billion
USD to pay for the Soviet withdrawal, and another monetary sum to support the
Soviet forces in Germany until their complete withdrawal. The Soviet forces
finished their withdrawal from East Germany on August 31, 1994.
Reunified Germany’s Continued Participation
in NATO
The place of Germany in NATO was a serious
issue for all countries involved. In November 28, 1989, Kohl presented a 10
point plan to address this issue; the next day, the US Secretary of State Baker
proposed that the continued participation of Germany in NATO was a starting
point in negotiations regarding German reunification.
West Germany realized early on that the military issue would be the biggest obstacle in reunification
negotiations. Hence, Kohl’s 10-point plan did not specifically raise the military
issue. Nevertheless, beginning from February 1990, Germany firmly affirmed its
continued participation in NATO, and proposed that the US should take up the
role of Europe’s protector. Following these affirmations, both the US and
Germany began soliciting Soviet cooperation in German reunification. The
following points formed the basis of the two countries’ negotiations with the
USSR:
[1] Following the CSCE provision on
self-determination, the four major powers following the Second World War will
not be allowed to interfere in the East and West Germans’ decision on reunification.
[2] After reunification, NATO jurisdiction
will not expand in the slightest, and NATO forces will not be stationed in the
former East German territories.
[3] Efforts will be made to demonstrate
that the NATO is not intrinsically opposed to the USSR. The NATO summits and
the G-7 summits will be used for this purpose.
[4] NATO must continue to exist even if the
WTO is disassembled.
[5] A reunified Germany that does not
participate in NATO poses a threat both to Europe and the USSR.
[6] A neutral reunified Germany will mean
that Soviet forces must withdraw 600km, but the US forces must withdraw 4800km
from German borders. For this reason, German neutrality is non-negotiable.
[7] Presentations to be made to the Soviet
congress in July 2-13 in order to convince hardliners who oppose German reunification.
West Germany added the following points,
which the US did not include, in its talks with the USSR. Firstly, the economic
benefits that the USSR would derive from a reunified Germany should be
stressed. Secondly, economic aid and other forms of aid should be used as tools
of persuasion. Thirdly, the USSR should be treated with the level of respect
and courteous that it deserves. Lastly, to ask for understanding for the fact
that the US must be informed of any concessions offered by France or the USSR.
In particular, the US had already briefed
the USSR of the agendas of the NATO and G-7 Summits, to assure that no
surprises were forthcoming. After the USSR had been ensured of the goodwill of
the US and West Germany, the pathway to reunification was opened at the
Caucasus Conference after Gorbachev accepted most West German proposals,
including continued NATO participation.
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