In honor of the 30th anniversary of German reunification, in this Diplomacy Classroom, we looked back at the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, also known as the “Two Plus Four Agreement.”
We welcomed Vera Beutin, Director of the German Information Center at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to frame the conversation. She first helped us understand the history of Germany, and why it was split into two different states. She also highlighted the varied sentiments of Germans once West and East Germany were reunited.
Then NMAD Public Historian Dr. Alison Mann joined the discussion to tell the story of the American and German diplomats who negotiated the reunification treaty. This treaty, also known as the “Two Plus Four Agreement,” was signed in Moscow in 1990. The numbers in the equation represent the stakeholders in the negotiations, the two Germanys plus the four allied powers which occupied Germany at the end of WWII – the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union.
Item
After the 9/11 attacks, U.S. embassies and consulates around the world became memorial sites, filled with offerings of all kinds. Condolence gifts included flowers, candles, personal notes, drawings, and mementos. International first responders also expressed their sorrow at the loss of so many who had given their lives in the face of…
Period
After World War II, the United States entered what was known as a “Cold War” with the Soviet Union, their allies, and other communist nations. This period included open conflict as well as global political, ideological, and economic rivalry. To combat the influence and spread of communism around the world, the United…
Collection Highlights
From 1961 to 1989, the Berlin Wall served both as a physical barrier as well as a symbol of division and repression. Families, friends, and…
