Hallstein Doctrine
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The Hallstein Doctrine, named after Walter Hallstein, was a key doctrine in the foreign policy of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) between 1955 and 1969. It was supported by the Christian Democratic Party.
According to the doctrine, the Federal Republic of Germany had the exclusive right to represent the entire German nation, and with the exception of the Soviet Union, West Germany would not establish or maintain diplomatic relations with any state that recognized East Germany.[1] The doctrine was first applied to Yugoslavia in 1957.
East Germany attempted to undermine this doctrine by forming diplomatic relationships with the newly decolonized nations of the Third World.
It weakened with the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Romania (1967) and Yugoslavia (1968) and was finally abandoned with the adoption of Ostpolitik(Eastern Politics) by Chancellor Willy Brandt, which resulted in mutual recognition between East and West Germany as two states (though not as two nations).
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[edit] USSR exception
The doctrine did not apply to the Soviet Union, as a former occupying power that was partially responsible for the division of Germany and necessary for achieving its re-unification.[1]
[edit] Similar situations
Similar exclusive mandate policies (One-China policy) were pursued by the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China, and the situation in Vietnam during the Vietnam war was somewhat similar.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Grewe, Wilhelm (1955-12-11). Erläuterung der sog. "Hallstein-Doktrin" durch den Leiter der Politischen Abteilung des Auswärtigen Amts, Ministerialdirektor W. Grewe, in einem Interview mit dem Chefredakteur des Nordwestdeutschen Rundfunks, H. Wendt, am 11. Dezember 1955 (Explanation of what is known as the Hallstein Doctrine by the head of the Political Department of the Federal German Foreign Office, W. Grewe, in an interview with Herr Wendt, the editor in chief of the radio station Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk) (German). German Foreign Office. Retrieved on 2008-03-17.
