The father of German unification, Helmut Kohl, has died

<p>Helmut Kohl, the man credited with uniting East Germany and West Germany, <a href="http://www.bild.de/politik/inland/helmut-kohl/politik-eilmeldung-altkanzler-helmut-kohl-gestorben-52219240.bild.html" target="_blank">has died</a>. He was 87 years old.</p><p>Kohl first served as <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-11477991" target="_blank">the chancellor</a> of West Germany beginning in 1982. When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, he called for the two sides to reunite.</p><p>Kohl faced opposition from Great Britain and Poland, but he got his wish for unity by getting U.S. President George H.W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on board.</p><p>On Oct. 3, 1990, East and West Germany officially came together, and Kohl became its first chancellor, serving till 1998.</p><p><b>SEE MORE: <a href="http://www.newsy.com/stories/berlin-s-mayor-urges-president-trump-not-to-build-wall/">Berlin's Mayor Urges Trump To Rethink The US Southern Border Wall</a></b></p><p>His combined 16 years as German chancellor made Kohl the longest-serving one of the 20th century.</p><p>During his time as leader, Kohl was also one of the <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/books/helmut-kohl-1930-2017-king-of-two-unifications-1.78252" target="_blank">main architects</a> behind the adoption of the euro as a common currency.</p><p>Kohl <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/21/world/europe/helmut-kohl-fast-facts/index.html" target="_blank">leaves behind</a> his wife and two children from a previous marriage.</p><hr><b>Trending stories at <a href="http://www.newsy.com">Newsy.com</a></b><ul class="inline-related-links"><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/stories/russia-says-it-might-have-killed-isis-leader-baghdadi/">Russia Says It Might Have Killed ISIS Leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/stories/theresa-may-launches-public-inquiry-into-grenfell-tower-fire/">UK Prime Minister Wants Answers About The London Apartment Tower Fire</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/stories/c-est-la-violence-cameroon-is-fighting-over-language/">C'est La Violence: Cameroon Is Fighting Over Language</a></li></ul>