The unification of two German societies that had been separated for four decades and had symbolized the systemic antagonisms of the Cold War marked a historically unparalleled cultural and political experiment. In rapid succession, the totalitarian system of the GDR was abolished, absorbed into the democratic FRG and taken into the European Community. This study focuses on the functions of German language education in the period of this dynamic change following reunification and it also explores the impact the unification process in Europe has had on German language politics.