Officially on the third of October, 1990, East Germany reunited with West Germany. There was a significant amount of apprehension from the perspective of social welfare. The East was known to have a lower standard of living, including less access to goods, products, services and a balanced diet. In addition, education and work opportunities were lower prior to the time of reunification. The industrialized West, had concerns over the ability of the East to quickly improve and reform much of the basic infrastructure in order to get in line with the West's standards.
Over time, the East greatly improved and adopted the same standards for living, including improved roadways, education, products and services. The standards are on par with much of the rest of the country now. In addition, the system effectively integrated much of what was once thought to be only a drain on the West's financial and industrial systems. And of course, Berlin has resumed being the capital. In fact, much of what is done and said in Germany today, is considered the guiding parameters for continued growth and development in the Eurozone block. The European Union relies on Germany's status as an economic power house, clearly demonstrating some of the positive effects that have resulted from reunification.
