October 3, 1990Reputable sourceWell documented
The Reunification of Germany
On the timeline · around October 3, 1990 ·
What happened
Less than a year after the Wall fell, East Germany was absorbed into the Federal Republic on 3 October 1990. Gorbachev, withdrawing Soviet forces, agreed to reunification and accepted that a united Germany could remain in NATO.
Why it matters
The peaceful reunification of Germany undid the central division of the Cold War in Europe and signaled that the Soviet grip on the continent was gone.