The Price of German Unity

Preface ; Introduction ; PART I: GERMAN UNITY: THE FRAMEWORK ; 1. The political framework ; 2. German unity and social policy: the legal framework ; 3. The German economy and the process of unification ; 4. The social structure and expectations from social policy ; PART II: THE CREATION OF THE SOCIAL UNION ; 5. The central features of the social union; the legislation and institutions governing social policy in the Federal Republic and the GDR compared ; 6. The social policy of the Modrow government ; 7. The State Treaty on monetary, economic and social union ; 8. The social legislation of the de Maiziere government ; 9. The Unification Treaty ; 10. The social policy actors and the unification process ; PART III: CHANGES TO THE GERMAN WELFARE STATE AFTER GERMAN UNIFICATION, 1990-1994 ; 11. The build-up of welfare-state institutions and providers in the new Bundeslander ; 12. The debates on Germany's economic position and on the problems in financial and social policy resulting from German unity ; 13. Social policy and its actors, 1991-1994 ; Concluding reflections ; Appendix ; Notes ; Sources and bibliography ; Glossary of terms and abbreviations ; The principal actors in the process of German unification ; Index

Gerhard A. Ritter ist Prof. em. für Neuere und Neueste Geschichte an der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. Von 1976 bis 1980 war er Vorsitzender des Verbandes der Historiker Deutschlands. Er ist Honorary Fellow des St. Antony's College Oxford sowie korrespondierendes Mitglied der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. 2007 erhielt er den "Preis des Historischen Kollegs".

essential reading for those interested in the recent history of Germany. It also makes an important contribution to the debate about the viability of 'welfare states' in Europe at a time when they are threatened by deregulation, ageing populations and new patterns of work. A.J. Nicholls, English Historical Review