How did stalin respond to the unification of Western Germany?

Answer 1

After the Berlin Wall came down in Nov 1989, the East German government collapsed as well and the German reunification began in earnest. Gorbachev of the Soviet Union, had made it clear to the East German leadership, that they were on their own and could expect no help from the Soviet Union. The Russians had enough problems at home by that time-including shortages of just about everything and an economy that was about on the verge of collapse! Erich Honnecker, the East German Leader, had been in power for over 25 years, and was an ardent, Stalinist and out of touch with the German people. Gorbachev never did like him. As a result, the Soviet stood idly by while both German states reunified and the Soviet military withdrew from East Germany peacefully in 1990-91.

Answer 2

The Stalin Note was a document that was given to western allied nations that stated Stalin was in favor of the reunification of West Germany. It further provided for individual freedoms and promised no restraints on economic pursuits. The Western leaders did not take this seriously based on Stalin's track record.

Answer 3

The Soviet Union surrounded West Germany like a bunch of zoo keepers surrounding a tiger cage. Also known as the Berlin Blockade.

They did not expect the tigers to fly thousands of planes to resupply the city. As well, they did not expect the United States or war-weary allied powers to have the chutzpah to fly over Soviet airspace and drop food there, but were not willing to restart a new war after World War II had taken almost every ounce of supply they had left from them, especially in the Western part of the Soviet Union, where the vast majority of fighting would naturally be expected to be.

The Americans told the Soviets they would drop humanitarian supplies and they watched, and indeed the only thing they were dropping was humanitarian supplies. Soviet moles in the city watched daily to make sure no weapons shipments were coming; and they were not. The Soviets let the humanitarian aid keep coming and coming, watching to make sure the West Germans were not being armed. They were not, and this was satisfactory to keeping the Soviet Politburo calm.

But had the Soviet Union been better logistically developed at the time, the food bombers of 1948 would have dropping the plane itself into West Germany. It was only because the Soviets could NOT fight a preemptive war that they let it continue, until they stopped the blockade itself, as Western resupply had made the city perhaps the only city which became more prosperous during a siege than before.

The Soviets encouraged the development of the Democratic Republic of Germany, and the redevelopment of Ostberlin to compete with West Berlin; the development of "nanny" towns to both compete and Overwatch West German settlements, and kept consistently stationed military forces on the East Germany/West Germany borders to ensure no infiltrations occurred. When they began noticing the infiltrations that WERE occurring were from the emigration of Soviet citizens to West Germany, they built the Berlin Wall. After its crash development, it helped to function also as a chokepoint to West Berlin, keeping local American, British, and French military forces from post-conflict resupply or supplying additional forces to nearby armies.

They militarized wherever they had a border or link to the Western world. From railways to pathways, Soviet guards were interspersed on corners. Some common Germans were paid to keep tabs on Western forces and report to a local spymaster. In general, the Soviets responded with a full-fledged surveillance, militaristic development, and ideological mobilization against the formation of West Germany.

Answer 4

They weren't fans.