1. Less than 10 years to become major player
- best way for WG was to win support of West and reconcile with France
- re-integration seen as good by US= against communist expansion
- Petersberg Agreements Nov 1949– FRG joined council of Europe as associate member
- right to set up consulates in other countries
- direct representation on OEEC which gave out Marshall Aid
- representation on the Board of the International Authority on the Ruhr
2. Emergence of NATO 1949
- America’s commitment to West Europe far from certain initially
- Brussels Pact March 1948:-
– EDO formed, aim was to prevent German resurgence as it was seen as threat to security
– However- seemed to be protection against the advance of communism= made US reassess position
American View
- Western Eu vulnerable to ideological expansion of USSR
- EDO to European and small to protect WE
- joining EDO would give US little input on policy making, while committing them to duty of WE protection
- Atlantic Alliance rather than regional EU ally= increased influence, increased certainty for EU defence against commies.
3. FRG (effects on it)
- ambiguous position- vanquished nation which was to be kept in check, but WG lay on frontline against advance of Comms= bigger threat
- 1950 Adenauer begins to argue for Bundeswher because- combat internal revolutions and contribute to european defence
- outbreak of Korean War June 1950= made suggestion appear more reasonable and urgent since unlike GDR, FRG was still unarmed
4. Stalin’s Note March 1952
- Proposed neutral united Germany- suprisingly liberal- w/e G’s chose should be accepted unclear whether it was propaganda to destabilize Adenauer’s policies or genuine?
- If true- A had abandoned reunification
- Schumacher and SPD argued A feared SPD dominated Germany
- Stalin would never really risk free political Germany- it would threaten the other eastern satellite states
5. Pleven Plan September 1950
- French initially unhappy about armed Germany so put foward Pleven Plan which would allow G a limited number of troops but only as a member of a new EDC
- FAB agreed in principle but Brits unhappy with scheme
6. General Treaty in Bonn May 1952
- to set up new EDC, which was successfully concluded in 1954
- it abolished the statute of occupation and recognized full sovereignty of FRG and pledge to work for future reunification
- all restrictions on German economy and scientific research lifted
- allowed to set up Bundeshwer for security
- EDC arrangements collapsed when French refused to ratify treaty in 1954
- = A desperate to keep german involvement alive= renounced nuclear weapons and to keep WG army limited in size and kept under strict civil control
- US led alliance= sent message to USSR, highlight US’s determination to reject further expansion of Soviet influence
- membership of new alliance had to go beyond that of EDO=
- NATO April 1949- established as political defence system, but changed into military stance after soviets successfully tested 1st A-bomb
7. Open way for German Rearmament
- British plan to adopt Germany and Italy into Brussels Pact adopted and EDC renamed Western European Union
- opened way- proposed Four Power summit to discuss reunification had been delayed following power struggle after Stalin’s death in 1953 and GDR riots
- French reluctantly gave into pressure and WG finally admitted into NATO May 1955
- = USSR recognized sovereignty of GDR and created Warsaw Pact with GDR as member
- brought fears America only in it for their own ends
- JULY 1956- Basic Law changed to allow compulsory military service- provoked controversy
- 1961- FRG had 350,000 soldiers and was second largest force in NATO
- criticism some officers formerly served in Nazi wehrmacht
8. The European Economic Community (EEC)
- merge WE coal and steel industries= provoked fierce debate. Adenauer accused of selling out by SPD and Schumacher, as ‘chancellor of the allies’
- Treaty of Paris April 1951– brought about ECSC in 1952 (brits refused to take part) although only industrial agreement it signified a ‘peace treaty between G and F
- FRG joind IMF 1952
- Adenauer solidly behind negotiations that led to The Treaty of Rome March 1957, this set up the ECC January 1958
- ECSC and EURATOM merged into EEC= common policies for agriculture, transport capital and labour and common external tariffs. LT political integration but in ST it was concerned with economic issues
- Establishment of EEC came at a time when US were looking to relax policies towards USSR. this alarmed Adenauer and he began to pull germany closer to France despite their having different outlooks on foreign policy
- de Gaulle and A brought closer during 1961 Berlin Crisis
- January 1953- A gave de Gaulle support veto UK joining EEC
- Elysee Treaty- a Franco German treaty of friendship
- Adenauer tried to emphasize to D.Bundestag this didn’t mean a shift in foreign policy and led to fierce debate. Erhard pro US and wanted UK in EEC v Gaullists who feared an integrated Western europe independent of USA
9. The Hallstein Doctrine 1995
- heavily criticized in 1960s and 1972
- since 1949 Adenauer had insisted FRG was the ‘sole legitimate state’ in Germany
- GDR regarded as illegitimate puppet state
- Ulbricht same stance but for FRG
- FRG recognized by most UN members and only Soviet bloc recognized GDR
- 1955- GDR started describing itself as ‘second german state’
- sept 1955- A seemed to support this view by establishing relations with Soviet Union as part of an agreement for exchanging POWs
- =anxious to make clear position not changed- recognition of GDR would harden division and raise doubts over A’s claim that western integration hadn’t harmed chances of reunification
- Sept 1955 in an adress to Bundestag made his position clear repeated threat in Dec 1955= Hallstein Doctrine
- Oct 1957 FRG broke off from Yugoslavia for forming relations with GDR and Cuba in 1963
- HD enabled FRG to prevent recognition of GDR
- However FRG prevented from establishing diplomatic relations with countries such as China who had recognized GDR in Warsaw Pact
- = Hindered FRG’s freedom of action and made GDR more dependent on USSR
10. Brussels Pact
- set out terms for co-operation and collective defence
- regarded as anti communist organisation and eventually became broader part of EU
11. USSR reunification proposal 1953
- after stalins death Four power Summit, Beria considered selliing GDR to the west provided it became neutral
- riots 1953 and Beria’s fall delayed Four Power Summit until after FRG joined NATO
- Geneva 1955- not successful meet as east-west relations were at a low ebb
- Khrushchev effectively ruled out reunification