ABSTRACT
West German foreign policy from 1949 to 1989 rested on one pillar: the firm inclusion in the free societies of the West, namely the European Community and the Atlantic Alliance. On this basis, in 1969, the Social Democratic chancellors initiated Ostpolitik, i.e., the politics of pan-European and of course “Pan-German” orientation, with the ultimate aim of overcoming European and German divisions. The treaties with our eastern neighbors and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) process were most visible expressions of this policy. (The CSCE process is defined as a multilateral diplomatic forum involving 53 states across Europe and North America. CSCE negotiations focus on military security, economic cooperation and human rights.)
