The Western German Foreign Policy Towards Communist Bloc and the American Attitude Towards it 1969-1974

Abstract

The year 1969 witnessed a great change with respect to the Western German foreign policy. During this year, the socialist party came to power in Western Germany and the party's leader, Willy Barandt, become the federal chancellor there. Willy Brandt started to follow a new foreign policy known as the Ostpolitikwhich is based on driving to rapprochement among the countries of the communist bloc in the lead of which was the Soviet Union. According to that policy, Willy Brandt turned the Western German foreign policy out of its traditional course which was represented by the total adhering to the NATO and rejecting to deal with the countries of Warsaw alliance.