The division of Germany after World War II was one of the most visible symbols of the division of Europe into two opposing blocs. Despite the political and ideological rupture, neither bloc nor any of the German states broke away from the common European trunk. Official visions of continental cooperation flourished and the signing of the Helsinki Final Act in 1975 was a major milestone. The East-German opposition, in a minority and with little echo, was also concerned with the European question. It maintained a network of transnational contacts from which it picked up various proposals for Europe and to which it contributed its own views. The GDR dissidents envisioned a Europe without blocs, peaceful, democratic, and capable of facing global challenges. German reunification, however, put an end to these expectations by bringing about the final integration into the European Communities that have given rise to today’s European Union.