COMMENT Twenty years ago, on November 9 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall marked the decisive step towards German reunification – and eventually Europe’s reintegration. Back then, hopes were high for rapid economic integration of the former communist east and the capitalist west.
Double-digit growth rates seemed to herald a dynamic process. Soon enough, though, soberness set in – and it became apparent real integration would be arduous. Industrial production in the former East Germany – which fell by about two-thirds immediately after unification – has only recently exceeded its level in 1989.
