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After the Second World War, two countries were treated as sub-colonial trustees, one was the defeated country Germany, and the other was Korea, which had been a Japanese colony early.
The situation of the two countries is very similar to some extent, the same unified country is under separate trusteeship by different countries, and the same has become the front line of the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union, but the development of the two countries is very different.
After 45 years of separation, East and West Germany successfully merged in Eastern Europe amid the upheaval, while North and South Korea remained tense after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
What is it that leads them to a different fate?
The two Germans quickly merged
After the end of World War II, Germany, as a defeated country, was administered by the United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. But in fact, the truly influential United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union did not see partition governance as the final disposition of Germany.
According to historical data, Churchill openly expressed his reluctance to split Germany, and Roosevelt also commented on the report of the American representative of the Partition Committee that it was necessary to carefully study and postpone the decision.
Stalin clearly pointed out in the "Letter to the People" issued after Germany's surrender that the Soviet Union "did not intend to divide Germany or destroy Germany."
In fact, the various forces at that time wanted to transform Germany into a united, non-threatening state and bring it into their camp. However, it is clear that this will inevitably lead to strong interference from the other two forces.
Especially at a time when the United States and the Soviet Union were already showing signs of hegemony and Britain did not want to give up its former glory, the geopolitical struggle became even more acute. In the end, split custody became the only option that could be agreed upon by all parties.
At first, the parties also held a series of negotiations on the issue of German reunification.
However, in 1948, the United States, Britain, and France announced the merger of the Mandate and made it join the Marshall Plan, and then controlled the West German Constituent Assembly to adopt the Basic Law and establish the Federal Republic of Germany.
In the eyes of the Soviet Union, this meant that West Germany had joined the Western camp and had become a bridgehead for the West to confront itself. Enraged, the Soviet Union turned around and allowed its occupation zone to become a state and made it the forefront of the confrontation with the West.
In this way, Germany became the frontline of the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union, but what is surprising is that in 1989, when Eastern Europe was changing dramatically, the two Germanys, which had long been opposed, quickly achieved reunification.
The Deal Behind the Unification
German reunification seems so logical that it seems abrupt – in October 1989, East Germany was still tightening border controls, but just a year later, East Germany was completely integrated into West Germany.
But after a closer look at this seemingly abrupt appearance, we will find that behind the smooth merger, both virtues have paid a lot.
As the more economically developed side of West Germany, the price they paid was more obvious.
Although the Soviet Union was already facing severe economic problems at this time, and there was ideological confusion at home due to the infiltration of the United States and the West, no one could deny its military strength.
The aftermath of the 1981 military parade on Red Square is still alive and well when Americans pessimistically believed that the Soviet Union would be able to occupy West Germany in eight days, but now it is only 10 years later, and although the Soviet Union has declined, its military strength has not regressed.
At least the Germans did not dare to forcibly unify without the permission of the Soviet Union.
In order to win the consent of the Soviet Union, West Germany did make a bloody investment. They provided the Soviet Union with a huge amount of food and material aid, and promised the Soviet Union $15 billion in EC aid and 5 billion marks in government-guaranteed bank credit.
Originally, at this time, the Soviet Union was already a little out of control over East Germany, and after getting so many benefits from West Germany, it would be inappropriate to hold on to East Germany any longer.
Thus, after receiving a promise from East and West that Germany would permanently abandon its recourse to Kaliningrad (Königsberg), which had already been annexed to the Soviet Union, and the 100,000 square kilometers of territory that had been allocated to Poland by the Soviet Union, and that NATO troops would not be deployed on the territory of the former East Germany, the Soviet Union finally relented.
However, before leaving, the Soviets also knocked the last touch of West Germany, demanding compensation for the 380,000 troops stationed in East Germany.
In order to be able to smoothly reunify, West Germany gritted its teeth and agreed to the demands of the Soviets, paid military compensation to the Soviet Union, and even provided skills training for the Soviet garrison in East Germany.
As for the East German side, it seems that it did not pay much, but in fact, the concessions made in the merger of the two Germany were even greater.
East Germany originally advocated equal integration and became a new neutral country, but in the end, in order to gain the consent of the United States, it chose to join West Germany, and agreed to join NATO after the merger.
When the United States saw that the merger of Germany and Germany could expand its sphere of influence, it naturally nodded.
After the United States and the Soviet Union agreed, Britain did not say much, or rather, Britain has been engaged in continental balancing since ancient times, to put it bluntly, it is to let France and Germany fight in the ring, and after the reunification of Germany, its strength will increase, and it will compete with France for the right to speak on the European continent, which is also what Britain is happy to see.
And by this time, no matter how unhappy France was with Germany's comeback, it could not afford to confront the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, plus a Britain that was similar to them.
However, although France could not stop it, it was still possible to add to Germany's blockage. The French demanded that if Germany wanted to be united, it would have to abandon the mark and switch to the euro.
Germany could only accede to French demands for reunification, although this shift was later seen as the source of many of Germany's economic problems.
In this way, after paying a huge price for the two Germanys, on September 12, 1990, the representatives of the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain, France, and Germany signed the "Treaty on the Final Settlement of the German Question" in Moscow, and the two Germany were finally successfully reunified.
Why the two Koreas failed to reunify
The reason why the two Germans were able to smoothly reunify was that both Germany had a strong desire for reunification and were willing to pay for it.
In the end, they seized the historical opportunity of the Soviet Union on the verge of collapse and, after paying a huge price, succeeded in achieving the goal of reunification.
However, on the Korean Peninsula, although the two Koreas also have a desire for reunification, they are unwilling to back down. On many international issues, there are also great differences.
Therefore, even during the period when the Soviet Union collapsed and the United States withdrew from Asia, the two Koreas failed to seize the opportunity to achieve reunification.
With the passage of time, the older generation of the DPRK and the ROK is gradually passing away, and the young people who were born and raised in the environment of confrontation between the DPRK and the ROK naturally do not have the enthusiasm of the older generation for reunification, and the fact that the United States has returned to the Asia-Pacific region will undoubtedly make the reunification of the DPRK and the ROK more difficult.