Reunification Controversy Was East Germany Really 'Annexed?'

As Germany prepares to mark 20 years of unity, Matthias Platzeck, former head of the SPD, has set off a debate about German reunification after he referred to the event as an "annexation," the same word used to describe the Nazi takeover of Austria in World War II. "I don't know what there is to celebrate," Platzeck said in an interview with SPIEGEL.