The German Baltic port of Mukran, located near Sassnitz on the Island of Rügen, is currently at the centre of attention. The construction of an LNG terminal at Mukran has drawn public attention and protests to the region. Interestingly, 30 years ago, Mukran was also in the spotlight when the former Soviet Armed Forces were being withdrawn in 1994. The withdrawal of these forces from Germany was a momentous event and the accompanying ceremonies in Berlin and elsewhere marked the end of an era.
Since 1945, approximately 500,000 Soviet soldiers and civilians were stationed in the Soviet Occupation Zone in Germany, which later became the German Democratic Republic (GDR). These forces were equipped with an extensive arsenal, including nuclear weapons. In 1994, about half of the former Soviet personnel stationed in Germany departed from the Baltic port of Mukran, heading to Klaipėda in Lithuania. The remaining soldiers and civilians were sent back to the former Soviet Union, a country that had ceased to exist on 31 December 1991. The soldiers were relocated to newly built barracks in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. These military personnel faced an unknown path as they integrated into the armed forces of the newly independent countries.
During the times of the Warsaw Pact, nobody had anticipated such a sudden withdrawal of (former)
Soviet forces from Eastern and Central Europe. Many questions remain to be answered, such as:
- Which political decisions led to the withdrawal?
- The withdrawal represented an unprecedented feat during peacetime, requiring extensive planning, transportation, and coordination. How was it made possible?
- What was the role of the intelligence community during the process of withdrawal?
- Why was the Baltic port of Mukran chosen as the strategic location for the withdrawal of troops?
- How did the dynamic instabilities and revolutionary processes in Eastern Europe play into the implementation of the withdrawal? How was it possible to successfully carry through an operation of that size under these circumstances?
- How did the withdrawal affect the redesign of the security architecture of Central and Eastern Europe?
- What are the long-term effects of the withdrawal, especially in Russia?
These are some of the main questions that historians and eyewitnesses will discuss at a conference on “The Withdrawal of former Soviet Forces from Germany - Background, Implementation and Consequences” to take place at University of Greifswald from 07-09 November 2024. The conference will combine local and international/transnational perspectives, discussing the regional and global implications of one particular event that took place in the Baltic Sea Region 30 years ago.
The organizing institutions are prepared to cover/reimburse participation costs for participants (travel, accomodation, meals). Presentations can be held in German or English.
Deadline for abstracts is 15 July 2024.
Abstracts should be directed to Dr. Arne Segelke: segelkeauni-greifswaldde
The conference is jointly organized by the University of Greifswald, Max Weber Network Eastern Europe, Center for Cold War Studies at the University of Southern Denmark, and the Chair for Contemporary History at the University of Rostock with the support of The Centre for Civic Education of the State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.