The Stasi: The History and Legacy of East Germany’s Secret Police Agency by Charles River Editors

Author:Charles River Editors
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Charles River Editors
Published: 2018-02-23T00:00:00+00:00

The Guillaume Scandal

The late 1960s saw another change in the relationship between West Germany and East Germany. The rise to power in the BRD of Willy Brandt caused a change in policy direction that advocated conciliation with the communist bloc, including the DDR. Brandt would be the leading figure of what the West Germans dubbed Ostpolitik. For the SED, it struggled to exist in the international arena due to lack of recognition. This was part of the BRD’s stated “Hallstein Doctrine” (named after the Foreign Ministry official who authored the policy), whereby the Federal Republic of Germany would not do business with any country that recognized the DDR.[80] Brandt, however, executed a complete reversal in East-West relations by attempting to build a dialogue with the BRD’s neighbors. He met with DDR Prime Minister Willi Stoph in March 1970, visited Poland with a remarkable demonstration of contrition over Germany’s wartime crimes, and subsequently signed treaties with Moscow and Warsaw later that year.[81] Brandt signed the “Basic Treaty” in 1972 that appeared to accept the existence of the DDR – although not categorically – and thereby satisfied one of the SED’s cherished aims.

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