Germany in the International System

Abstract

No Western European country was more deeply affected by the end of the East–West confrontation in Europe than the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). The changes in the European security landscape, the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact (WTO), German unification and the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Eastern Europe constituted a substantial shift in the balance of power in Europe, with the united Germany the main beneficiary. Germany has essentially regained those elements of its sovereignty which were lost in the Second World War. Unification – a principal objective of West German declaratory foreign policy for the last forty years – has been achieved. Germany has become less dependent on the Western Alliance for its security, and because of its geographic location and its economic potential Germany has become a major West and East European power.