Abstract
The study examines how the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesanstalt für Arbeit, BA) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit, BMU) coped with the pressures of German reunification in 1989/90. It analyzes how both institutions faced unprecedented organizational stress from political, social, and administrative challenges. The BA struggled with soaring unemployment and mass migration, while the BMU focused on environmental cooperation and the creation of a ›environmental union.‹ By comparing strategies, resources, and stress responses, the paper highlights how these institutions shaped and adapted to the transformative period of unification.