The European Union

Abstract

Since the 1950s Germany’s basic position in the international political and security system has been fairly well defined as a result of the Westintegration, whereby the Federal Republic accepted restrictions on its foreign policy in return for the security guarantee of the Alliance. Since that time Germany’s political élite has been largely agreed over two major points – first Germany’s firm anchorage in the Western security system and second its participation in multilateral frameworks on a co-operative basis. Bonn’s commitment to Westintegration was not just a consequence of West Germany’s security dilemmas but was also integral to its international rehabilitation. European integration was part of a vision for building a new Europe which would not be dominated by the traditional and dangerous interstate rivalries. The Federal Government’s commitment to Westintegration was a result of the need to overcome the historic Franco-German competition for hegemony in Europe and the animosities which had resulted from two world wars.