WESTERN

The study aims to analyse the developing policies and goals of the Federal Republic of Germany in connection with those of its major Western allies during the years of détente, 1966-1975. The origins, politics and ultimate goals of the Neue Ostpolitik devised by Brandt and Bahr are the focus of all research conducted within the framework of the project. "National interest" and "growing up" remained key terms in the public debate of the 1970s, signalling a new phase in West German history and a deep desire for more independence in international affairs than had hitherto been possible. Bonn acquired a greater influence within the Western alliance, and greater room for manoeuvre towards the Eastern bloc and vis-à-vis the so-called Third-World. The controversy over the nature and significance of German national interest in 1989/90 all but neglected the results and definitions arrived at almost two decades earlier. It is within this context that the project aims to analyse the relations..