Germany’s constitution – first adopted in West Germany in 1949 – lays out a striking vision, stating the country’s “resolve to preserve its national and political unity and to serve the peace of the World as an equal partner in a united Europe.” With the division of Germany considered a microcosm of the broader European split during the Cold War, German reunification seemed possible only in the context of an integrated Europe – a point that Chancellor Helmut Kohl emphasized in the debates of 1990, as reunification beckoned.
1949年在西德首先生效的德国宪法描绘了一幅引人注目的愿景，表达了德国“维护其民族政治团结，作为统一欧洲平等的合作伙伴为世界和平竭尽全力的决心。”因为德国分裂被视为冷战大背景下整个欧洲分裂的缩影，所以似乎只有在欧洲一体化的大背景下德国的统一才成为可能——在国家统一理想的感召下，这一观点在1990年辩论中被赫尔穆特·科尔总理特别提出。