United and divided

The system transformation after German unification in 1990 constituted an experiment on an unprecedented scale. At no point in history had one state attempted to redesign another without conquest, bloodshed or coercion but by treaties, public policy, and bureaucratic processes. Unification was achieved by erasing the eastern political and economic model. Incorporating new research findings and published data, the contributors focus on key aspects of economic, political, and social transformation in eastern Germany and compare, through case studies, each area with developments in the west.