Shortly after the border was opened, changes were pushed through in the GDR. The most conspicuous came about during the campaign for the Volkskammer election in March 1990, when countless election posters, often with commentaries, became a popular motif for photographers. Important, too, was the presence of leading West German politicians at election meetings in all of the larger towns in East Germany – not to mention the elections themselves. The currency union, which came about on 1 July 1990, put Western goods in shops at standard prices. This was a first step in bringing the East closer to the West.
