The day after the first free election in East German history, a group of teachers in the southwestern city of Halle sat smoking cigarettes and talking about the balloting. Fred Hichert, an engineering instructor, said his vote for the victorious Christian Democratic Union was not only a bid for the quick melding of the two German economies but also a sign of his disgust with the long-ruling Communists. "They've had 40 years to test out their theories," he said. "Look at what they gave us." He gestured toward a crumbling row of apartments. A few blocks away, in Halle's central market...
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