JCC: Two Germanys Enter, Only One Germany Leaves: German Reunification, 1989 - Socialist Unity Party of Germany (East Germany)


APPROXIMATE COMMITTEE SIZE: 25 delegates

In early 1989, East Germany was heading towards extreme change. The USSR, under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev, created the policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (economic reform) throughout the Eastern Bloc allowing for home rule and friendlier relations to the West. East German leader Erich Honecker, General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party, was resistant to Gorbachev’s initial reforms leading him to lose favor and support from the USSR. The newfound openness of the Eastern Bloc to the West due to Gorbachev’s policies allowed for immigration from East Germany to pour through the Iron Curtain and into the West. The East Germans began to demonstrate, calling for more government openness and democracy just like other Eastern Bloc nations.

CHAIR: Alex Rieger

CRISIS MANAGER: Tyler Francisco

ISSUES TO CONSIDER

Term and Vision for Reunification

Shaping East German Identity and Legitimacy

Leveraging the International Context

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Understand the impact of Gorbachev’s reforms on the political dynamics of the Eastern Bloc, especially in relation to national sovereignty and relations with the West.

  • Analyze the internal resistance to reform within East Germany, particularly the role of Erich Honecker and the implications of his opposition to Soviet policy shifts.

  • Evaluate the social and political consequences of increased openness in the Eastern Bloc, including mass emigration, rising public demonstrations, and demands for democratic reform.

About the Chair

Alex Rieger is a member of Georgetown’s College of Arts and Sciences Class of 2027, and he is majoring in Government, and minoring in Russian. He is from Pahrump, Nevada, a small town outside of Las Vegas, but often just says he’s from Vegas. He loved being able to staff both NAIMUN and NCSC the past two years, and also had the joy of being able to compete with the GUMUN traveling team. He also enjoys learning (and often complaining) about the vast differences of life on the East and West Coasts, riding bikes around the DMV, playing board games, and streaming the same episodes of his favorite sitcoms on repeat (The Office, Modern Family, etc.). NAIMUN is one of the most fun events of the year, and Alex cannot wait to see how East Germany can prevail in these turbulent times and (hopefully) thrive!

About the Crisis manager

Tyler Francisco is a junior in Georgetown’s College of Arts and Sciences studying Political Economy and Spanish. She grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida but hails from New York. Throughout high school, Tyler enjoyed competing in and staffing Model UN conferences, and has continued to stay active through NCSC and NAIMUN. Some of her interests include music, movies, going to the gym, and trying different Ben and Jerry’s flavors (favorites include Chocolate Therapy, the Tonight Dough, and Chocolate Fudge Brownie). She is looking forward to staffing NAIMUN and seeing how the delegates and East Germany work towards success during this conference.