Money, Security, and the Relationships of Trust: Toward an Integrated Understanding of Gorbachev's Role in German Unity

Constructivist theory has been part of the historiography of the Cold War's end and the unification of Germany since the late 1990s. However, much of the literature on the subject of Gorbachev and German unity interprets events using security and economics as having dictated Soviet policy of the period. This paper discusses Materialist, Realist, and Constructivist theories and their necessary interaction to provide a more thorough analysis of Gorbachev's role in German unity. It argues not only that German Unification was the unforeseen byproduct of Gorbachev's policies meant to revitalize the Soviet economy, but also that German unity was not possible until Gorbachev's economic and security concerns for the USSR's future were allayed. These concerns were not addressed by traditional measures, but through the trust developed between Gorbachev, West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, and the Federal Republic of Germany. Constructivist theory adds significant dimensions to the existing interpretations of Materialist and Realist theories in explaining how Gorbachev addressed Soviet concerns and policies of reform during the process of German unification where earlier confrontationist policies failed.