A Survey On Germany Policy Of The GDR, 1949-1990

After the Second World War, the defeated Germany was divided into two countries, the GDR and the FRG In the field of the Germany policy, the position of the GDR changed from striving for uniting to stand for separation and to agree to reunification of Germany. The dissertation focuses on the Germany policy of the GDR during the forty odd years.The dissertation is divided into three principal sections. The first part presents an introduction to the academic and historical background. The former includes the research meaning, the survey of domestic and foreign research, the definition of the Germany policy and the research goals, etc. The latter is a brief discussion of the emergence of the German division and the German question.The second part is about the development of the GDR's Germany policy. It is divided into five chapters in the sequence of time.Chapter 1 discusses the GDR's reunification policy from its foundation in 1949 to its joining in the Warsaw Pact in 1955. At first, the leaders of the GDR stood for the German reunification and it was set as one of the chief tasks. However, the economical and political and social life hadn't recovered completely in the GDR, thus the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) concentrated its main effort on its country's reconstruction in order to solidify the new regime. In the German question, the GDR only had made propaganda on its Germany policy such as Germany should be united on the basis of the Potsdam Pact. While the west alliance with America as the leader not only refused to fulfill the Pact, but took active part in founding a military alliance including the FRG so that they could gain strategic superiority in the cold war in Europe. But it was opposed resolutely by the GDR that the West equipped the FRG with arms again and brought it into a west military alliance. It not only ran counter to reunification of Germany the SED expected but also posed a severe threat to the GDR's safety. However, for lack of strength, the SED had to depend on the help of the Soviet Union and followed its Germany policy as concerned as they could. Then the SED aimed to found a united and neutral Germany through negotiation claimed by the USSR. In order to enter into negotiations with the FRG, the SED put forward a lot of suggestions on the way and the steps of the German unification and made a certain concession to the FRG But the negotiation between the two German countries was not held in the end. When they could not make any progress in striving for unification of Germany, the SED devoted greater emphasis to the socialist construction and tried to join in the political and security structures in Eastern Europe so that they could defend and develop their regime. Although the GDR government maintained unification of Germany as its main task and exerted some efforts, it failed to unite Germany finally because the relations between the West and the East became more and more deteriorated. After the FRG was integrated into the NATO, the GDR was put into the collective security system of socialist counties by the USSR also.Division of Germany was extended.Chapter 2 discusses the GDR's Germany policy in the period from the two German countries integration into the two military alliances respectively to on the eve of the diplomacy breakthrough of the FRG in the Eastern Europe. The German question became permanent after the two cold war alliances were founded on the basis of the German division. With its political rehabilitation and economical recovery, the FRG raised highly claims to hold modern arms, such as nuclear weapon. During the period of accumulating strength, the FRG carried out the Hallstein Doctrine in the diplomacy field in order to isolate the GDR and to prevent the other countries from taking the GDR as a sovereignty state and to refrain the broadening and legitimacy of the German division. Confronting to the uncompromising Germany policy of the FRG and the dangerous nuclear weapon race between the two sides in the Cold War, the GDR took a realistic attitude on the Germany policy gradually. The aim of the GDR's Germany policy was not the direct unification, but the equality and the peaceful coexistence between the two German countries. If it had gained the equality, the GDR Could preserve the socialist regime and its achievement, then the peaceful coexistence could offer a favorable environment for the GDR's socialistic construction. In order to turn the aim into reality, the GDR put forward the Confederation plan firstly, then made joint efforts with USSR to solve the problem of the West Berlin and to conclude a peace treaty, and at last it claimed to be taken as a sovereignty state by the FRG directly. However, the GDR failed again although it had done its best. By the erection of the Berlin Wall, the GDR controlled its frontier firmly and it raised its status in the international society gradually after it made progress in the political and economical field. As a matter of fact, the West alliance accepted the reality of the Berlin Wall and this indicated that they gave tacit consent to the existence of the GDR as a country.Chapter 3 discusses the adjustment of the GDR's Germany policy when the relations between the West and the East changed from confrontation to coexistence. The chapter devotes greater emphasis to how the GDR dealt with the new Germany policy of the FRG and why it headed for the separation road. In the latter sixties of the twentieth century, considering the stability of the GDR regime, the FRG had to adjust its Eastern policy and Germany policy. The foreign surroundings of the GDR changed again when the FRG had made minor moves toward the Eastern European nations and the Detente between the West and the East was coming. In order to fight for the FRG, the GDR adjusted its Germany policy quickly and greatly. At first, the GDR worked hard to gain safety assurance from the Soviet Union and the Eastern European nations again by treaties. The GDR expected to let its allied countries agree to act in concert that they would not consult with the FRG until the latter had given diplomatic recognition to the GDR regime. However, confined by its strength, it was difficult for the GDR to hinder the Detente in Europe. After the unconditional negotiations between the Soviet Union and the FRG began, the GDR devoted emphasis to defend itself by the adjustment of its internal policy, such as it gave up the aim of the German unification which led to the two German nations theory. In a word, it was possible for the GDR to take the separation policy because of the political stability and the economical prosperity and the increase of the people's national identity after theerection of the Berlin Wall. At the same time, it was also necessary for the GDR to adopt rigorous measures to safeguard itself under the new circumstance.Chapter 4 discusses the GDR's Germany policy during the treaty era in the seventies and eighties in the Twentieth Century. On the basis of the de facto recognition of the GDR regime, the two German countries concluded a lot of treaties in the early seventies, then, the treaty era of the two countries began. After the relations normalized, the economical interaction and humanity intercourse in the two countries increased greatly. In the early eighties, the cooperation between the two German countries continued although the relations between the United States and the Soviet Union deteriorated again. However, restricted by the international situation and the competitive relations between the two German countries, it was difficult for the two countries to improve their relations deeply. Once the GDR carried out the splitting policy that restricted the development between the two German countries and tried to shape the national identity on its own. But when the countries in the world depends each other gradually, it was impossible for the GDR to cut off the connection between the two German regimes and their citizens. With its depended on the FRG in the economical field gradually, the GDR had to maintain the cooperation with the FRG and its ability was not equal to its ambition of keeping at a distance. Therefore, in the treaty era, the relations between the two German countries developed continue and the GDR failed to shape a new socialistic nation in the end.Chapter 5 discusses when it found itself and the socialistic camp landed in a predicament in the later eighties and the former nineties, the GDR had to agree to integrate into the FRG The political crisis emerged in the Eastern European nations widely, which was influenced by the new thought of Gorbachev mainly. The GDR who boycotted the influence of the Soviet Union's reform was not exempt from it. As the emigration crisis a sign, the GDR was caught into social crisis quickly which led to the chaos of the political situation. For the existence of the regime and the social stability, the SED were forced to reform and Krenz took the place of Honecker as the new superior leader. However, the delayed reform of the SED could not prevent the circumstance worsening. Under the danger of the collapse of the GDR, the SED felt quite helpless and could not gain the help of its allied countries, the Soviet Union and the Eastern European nations, who were busy in saving themselves. In order to extricate itself from the difficult situation, the GDR had to head for the western system insider and sought the support of the FRG outsider. At first, the aim of the GDR was still the maintenance of its regime. But the Kohl's aim was unification of Germany in the end and he put forward a Ten Points Plan when he found that the GDR and the socialistic camp landed in a predicament. Firstly, the SED rejected to talk unification of Germany with the FRG regime. But it was difficult to insist on the position because the GDR needed the support of the FRG to restore its stability and to better the people's lives. With the GDR's situation worsening, the most people and opposition parties asked for unification of Germany. Then, the SED had to give up the two nations theory and agreed to talk over unification of Germany with the FRG and put forward its unification plan. However, the GDR could not play a leading role in the issue of the Gennan unification because the FRG was stronger and promised tobetter the people's lives in the GDR. In the end, Germany was reunified through peaceful way that the GDR was integrated into the FRGThe last part is the conclusion. The chapter presents a short introduction to the development of the GDR's Germany policy, then, concludes some basis features about it and evaluates its effect and influence in the end. When it maintained the aim of the German unification, the GDR tried to unite the interests of the regime and the German nation. Although the GDR failed to unite Germany, its Germany policy was helpful for the regime to win wide support that was important at the beginning the country founded. After the GDR gave up the aim of the German unification, in order to keep the stability after it had to open its gate to the FRG in the period of Detente, the SED put forward the two German nations theory that harmed the German national interests. The new Germany policy helped the GDR deal with the dangerous challenge from the FRG successfully. But it not only did not solve the German question for good and all, but also led the GDR lost the initiative in the national question after it separated the interests of its regime from the interests of the German nation. Therefore, when unification of Germany was coming into reality, the GDR could not exert its influence and was integrated into the FRG From the case of the German unification, it was said that the destruction of the GDR had something with the fault of the GDR's Germany policy.