Politics - Brandt's Policies (FRG) 1969-1974

Question 1

What was the ‘Grand Coalition’ and when did Brandt become chancellor?

Answer 1

In 1966, Erhard’s budget included such heavy taxation that FDP politicians resigned in protest, forcing Erhard to resign. This led to a coalition government between the CDU/CSU and the SPD. Willy Brandt was foreign minister, before becoming chancellor in 1969 under a SPD-FDP coalition

Question 2

What was Brandt’s policy of Ostpolitk?

Answer 2

Brandt’s policy of Ostpolitik was a policy of establishing friendly relations with East Germany, rather than treating it as a Soviet zone. Brandt was a liberal politician who wanted more accomodation and improved relations between the FRG and the GDR, as well as with the Eastern Bloc and the USSR. The policy had a significant impact on relations between the FRG and GDR which was continued by later chancellors, helping toward the ultimate reunification of Germany. Brandt won a Nobel Peace Prize for in 1971 for his work and was the first left-of-centre politician in Germany to call for reunification in 1989

Question 3

From whom did Ostpolitik meet with opposition?

Answer 3

Opposition to Ostpolitik came from the CSU in the Bundestag, who found it hard to accept that they had less political power, working hard to undermine the SPD/FDP coalition

Question 4

What were the main aims of Ostpolitik?

Answer 4

Ostpolitik aimed to develop relations between the FRG and GDR through a policy of ‘re-approachment’ (the development of contact and relations by diplomacy and agreement) rather than through force and strength

Question 5

How did Ostpolitik improve relations? What was the Basic Treaty?

Answer 5

Ostpolitik led to a series of agreements which addressed some of the key foreign policy issues and improved relations between the FRG and Eastern Bloc.
Perhaps the most significant of these agreements was the Basic Treaty of 1972, in which the FRG and GDR formally recognised each other’s existence, a foundation of development between the two Germanys. As well as developing inter-German relations, the agreement also reduced some wider international Cold War tensions:
- Reduced the threat of conflict over West Berlin
- Reinforced previous agreements giving West Berliners access to East Berlin, of great personal significance for those divided by the war
- Made possible for both the FRG and GDR to become members of the United Nations in 1973

Question 6

What was the parliamentary opposition to Ostpolitik?

Answer 6

Many MPs argued that the 1972 Basic Treaty showed the FRG’s acceptance and, to some extent, approval of the GDR. They argued that giving up aspects of the Hallstein Doctrine (the doctrine enacted at the inauguration of the FRG which said that West Germany would not establish or maintain diplomatic relaitons with any country which acknowledged the GDR) would ultimately lead towards the permanent division of Germany, as other nations would simply come to accept the division. The CDU were predominantly against Ostpolitik, as were some of Brandt’s own SDP, which lost much of its traditional support from refugees in the FRG

Question 7

What was the public opposition to Ostpolitik?

Answer 7

Many West German conservatives of the older generation were also opposed to what they saw as the FRG’s agreeing to the loss of German territory that had become part of Poland in 1945. Those Germans who had been expelled from former German territories in the east went as far as to argue that the Ostpolitik was illegal, some even describing it as treason. This was significant, as in the federal election of 1972, Brandt lost the support of some members who were opposed to Ostpolitik

Question 8

How far was the impact of Ostpolitik positive?

Answer 8

• On the one hand, the principle of establishing and developing relations between the two Germanys was a process begun by Brandt, and continued by both Chancellors Schmidt and Kohl until the reuniting of the FRG and GDR in 1990. Even at times of wider Cold War tension, such as in the early 1980s, both Germanys seemed intent on pursuing their own ‘local’ detente
• On the other hand, two very different Germanys were becoming increasingly distinct. The GDR developed its own separate identity and became known officially as ‘The Workers’ and Peasants’ State’. The two Germanys continued to develop along very different political, social, and economic lines, and the increasing psychological division of the people was also becoming more apparent
• Although the West German constitution was still formally committed to reunification, the division of Germany was increasingly viewed by the majority of politicians and the general public as the accepted status quo. The debate on reunification was viewed as lip-service while division remained, apparently permanently, and the discussion of a united Germany became increasingly low on the political agenda of the major political parties in the FRG. Most of the opinion polls showed a gradual trend toward acceptance of Germany’s division, and an increasing number actually became opposed to the idea of reunification
• There were still strains in the relationship between the two Germanys. The FRG continued to criticise the GDR government for its abuse of human rights. The relationship between the two Germanys was also subject to the changing fortunes in superpower relations; despite the development of Ostpolitik, both sides still kept up with preparations for the possibility of nuclear war, which included the construction of a new nuclear shelter in West Berlin in 1973