Maggie’s doubts about reunification
The British Prime Minister called a meeting to discuss the threat posed by a bigger Germany
In all this euphoria about Wall-Fall, democracy and people power it is easy to forget that British PM Margaret Thatcher was actually dead against German Reunification. In fact back in 1990, just after the Wall came down, she called a summit at Chequers to discuss the German character and to try to assess whether a more powerful Germany was a threat to Britain.
Invited to the meeting were right wing historian Norman Stone, journalist Timothy Garton-Ash, Hugh Trevor-Roper (specialist in Nazi history) along with the two best-known American historians of Germany, Fritz Stern, German-Jewish by origin, and Gordon Craig, who was Canadian-Scottish
The group had lunch, and then with Douglas Hurd, foreign minister, in attendance, and civil servant Sir Charles Powell taking notes, they discussed the German national character, and whether if Germany turned into a great central European state again through unification, would she not again become authoritarian and try to take over everyone else?
Writing about the discussion some years later, Norman Stone recalled that Mrs Thatcher’s impression of Germany was based on war, and individual accounts of atrocities. And that she was given to making ‘anti-German noises of an old-fashioned kind’.
His personal response to the overall question was that reunification was ‘the best thing that happened in his lifetime’, and that the general consensus of the meeting was one of approval for West Germany. In Stone’s opinion, East Germany was ‘not an accretion of strength, but, rather, 12 enormous Liverpools, handed over to the West Germans in a tatty cardboard box, with a great red ribbon round it, marked “From Russia with love”. When the question came up whether Germany might dominate central Europe, as in the past, I remember saying this could only be a good thing.’
After the meeting, a memorandum was circulated, based on the original agenda, and was speedily leaked to the press, with headlines about the aggressiveness that was part of the German character, etc. although Stone contests that the document itself ended with ‘sentiments to the effect that co-operation with Germany was in order, and that there was nothing to fear.’
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I’m not a politically learned person, but how sad. That then, before and right now, small groups of people with most everything going for them sit down in a room and “discuss” the failings and shortcomings of a large group of people. Globally and historically, it brings to mind the KKK,the middle east,South America, China,Japan,France and England. American history with the separation of nationalities during wars and witch burnings. It just goes on and on. Yet when you look at “Isolated incidents” of human compassion and caring, they add up to many more than wars. That is the global statement. The majority never rules, unfortunately. All humans get angry and can become “war-like”. The English “coldness” and history of imbalance, even to the manipulation of the church.
What’s the old saying? “Come live with me and be my wife”. The “marriage” of the common person globally one to another is all that will end this judgemental structuring of someone else’s future. Even as basic as a parent teaching a child to be prejudiced.Or a parent sending their child out in the world with a back pack to experience the world and its’ people.
In this confab with Thatcher, did anyone go to these regions to experience the peoples? I doubt it.
Enough…… what’s done is done and knowing humanity, more will happen. The fighting back will take kindness, patience and effort. Those of Prussian heritage in my family aren’t angry. Just proud to remember the good and pass that down.
As you say, what’s done is done, and it didn’t come to anything. Just a shame they thought it was necessary.