Which major domestic and international factors made German unification possible?

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Which major domestic and international factors made German unification possible?

There were four major groups which played a large role in the unification of Germany in 1990 and whose actions made this unification a possibility. The first of these was the Soviet Union. and in particular President Gorbachev, whose actions in the USSR set the scene for the end of the Cold War and made reunification a possibility. Second, the SED, the communist government in the GDR, which essentially failed to react to Gorbachev's reforms. Third, the people of the GDR, who became increasingly dissatisfied with the lack of reform in the SED and soon began to act of themselves. Fourthly, there was the government of the FRG, under Helmut Kohl, which reacted to the changes in the GDR in such a way as to bring about speedy reunification.

To begin, then, the role of the Soviet Union under Gorbachev was vital in resolving many of the international difficulties inherent in German reunification. Prior to Gorbachev's reforms in the USSR, the western powers and the FRG were unwilling to consider repeated Soviet offers to allow the reunification of a neutral Germany. The reasons for this refusal