Alexander von Plato was founder and director of the Institute for History and Biography of the University of Hagen, guest professor in Vienna and Winnipeg, recipient of the Diefenbaker Award 2012)

“The End of the Cold War is both a serious academic study and a lively and engaging read; it offers the fascinating perspectives of those who drove, and were sometimes driven by, this chaotic series of events. In general, von Plato’s considerable skills as influential and productive oral historian are evident here, along with his passion to understand better this landmark event in the recent history of his German home.” (Stephen Sloan, The Oral History Review, 2017)

• 1. The Beginnings 2. Summer 1989: Gorbachev in Bonn 3. Gorbachev and the "Soviet Fatherhood" of the GDR 4. Coincidence as helper - Driving the Activists 5. 2+4, 4+2, or 33+2?: The Centers of Power Take Over the Handling of the International Aspects of Unity 6. The Elections in the GDR and Their Consequences 7. What Was National, and What Was International, in the 2+4 Negotiations? 8. Signing of the Contracts 9. Summary and Prospects for the Future