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Russian media has reported that members of the Russian legislature have claimed that Germany's reunification was in fact an "annexation" of East Germany by the West and thus they have no right to criticize Russia's annexation of Crimea.

Госдума разберется с аннексией Восточной Германии

Комитет по международным делам рассмотрит вопрос об «аннексии Германской Демократической Республики Федеративной Республикой Германия в 1989 году»

I wonder to what extent this is true.

According to Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law,

Annexation is the forcible acquisition of a state's territory by another state.

So, did East Germany consent to the unification or was it incorporated by force or international pressure?

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Anixx
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    @Himarm did the East Germany's government agree on the unification? Were proper constitutional changes made? Or was it just entered by the West German military, similar to the Anschluss of Austria? – Anixx Apr 08 '15 at 13:32
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    This might be better asked on History.SE. Is it likely to have a definitive answer? – Oddthinking Apr 08 '15 at 13:34
  • What to call the unification of Germany, is a question of opinions. Whether it was a democratic process, is answerable. I've modified your title to reflect this. – Sklivvz Apr 08 '15 at 13:45
  • I would very much like to see the Russian claims added to this question. Izvestia is a reputable source, but don't expect the audience here to read Russian. Your question as asked now has nothing to prove/disprove. –  Apr 08 '15 at 13:46
  • @Sklivvz I am reverting your change because it is not what was claimed in the source. – Anixx Apr 08 '15 at 13:47
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    Ok, I'm closing this since the question is about definitions and political opinions now. – Sklivvz Apr 08 '15 at 13:47
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    @Sklivvz Annexation is a valid legal term. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annexation "Annexation is the forcible acquisition of a state's territory by another state." – Anixx Apr 08 '15 at 13:48
  • What about using a title of "Was East Germany unified by force?" That's using your definition of annexation. – Sklivvz Apr 08 '15 at 14:10
  • It's not claiming that Germany was annexed. It's claiming that if Crimea was annexed then Germany was annexed, because Crimea and Germany are similar, because both were effected as a result of popular vote or wishes of the electorate. Therefore I don't think this question should be reopened. I especially think it's off-topic to supply your own definition (or the encyclopedia's definition) instead of the definition used in the claim. – ChrisW Apr 08 '15 at 14:48
  • Removed many tentative answers and relative discussions. Please use the comments to discuss how to improve the question or request clarifications. – Sklivvz Apr 08 '15 at 19:17
  • For those of us not familiar with Cyrillic, can someone insert a transliteration and translation of the first quote? – HDE 226868 Apr 08 '15 at 23:39
  • @Sklivvz "Was East Germany unified by force?" - yes, it is possible. Still better would be "Was East Germany incorporated into West Germany by force?" – Anixx Apr 08 '15 at 23:45
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    @Anixx You clearly haven't read anything about the reunification of Germany. Please do some research before asking questions here. [Wikipedia will tell you everything you need to know](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_reunification#Process_of_reunification). You are new to this site, but you are a longtime user of other sites, including History, and you should know better. – DJClayworth Apr 09 '15 at 13:07
  • @HDE226868 "аннексией" is the same root word as "annexation". I wanted to know whether the original claim literally said "annexation". – ChrisW Apr 10 '15 at 15:39
  • @ChrisW I didn't mean what you were talking about - I was asking for a full, word-by-word translation. Though what you said is helpful. – HDE 226868 Apr 10 '15 at 19:32

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