But his assertive statements, such as questioning whether the unequal living standards in the former East and West Germanys could ever be evened out, broke taboos in the German political ...

BERLIN, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Horst Koehler, former German president from 2004 ... playing a key role in bringing the West German mark to East Germany after communist rule collapsed in 1990.

Germany’s former president, Horst Koehler ... playing a key role in bringing the West German mark to East Germany after communist rule collapsed in 1990. Koehler became managing director ...

His family fled to Germany after the war — first to Leipzig in what became communist East Germany, then to West Germany in 1954. Before rising to the presidency, Köhler had a long record as an ...

Of course, at least until the late 1970s, it was easier for a Western tourist to cross into East Germany than for East German citizens to emigrate to the West. The fact is that an adventurous and ...

He played a central role in Germany’s monetary unification in 1990 – when the former East Germany adopted the West German mark. He also helped prepare for the introduction of the euro.