Abstract

On September 20, 1990, the GDR Volkskammer in East Berlin passed the Unification Treaty between the two German states. When the outcome of the vote was announced, numerous members of parliament rose for a standing ovation. Two hundred ninety-nine Volkskammer representatives voted for the treaty, 80 voted against it, and one parliamentarian abstained from voting. As expected, on that very same day, the Bundestag in Bonn also voted in favor of the treaty with a clear majority of 440 votes; 47 voted against the treaty, and three abstained from voting. The Unification Treaty was ratified by the president of the Federal Republic on September 23, 1990.