FOREIGN POLICY CHANGES OF GERMANY AFTER ITS REUNIFICATION

Abstract

Germany underwent its first unification in 1871 and remained a prominent actor in the international arena since its origin. After engaging in two world wars, the postworld war Germany was divided as West and East and with the creation of the Berlin wall in 1961, the division became prominent. 'West Germany' became a member of NATO, while ‘East Germany' joined the Warsaw pact, the counter measure of communist states against NATO. This division created two different states with opposing ideologies. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, East Germany rejoined economically strong West Germany. The German reunification in 1990 was a bold initiative, executed with the expectations of creating an economically and politically strong single nation-state. The newly reunified Germany orchestrated an admirable foreign policy display to raise its status-quo in the international arena. The research focuses on salient features of German Foreign Policy that made the German reunification a success story and discuss Germany’s ability to become a hegemon at present. The research was constructed using qualitative methods, with information obtained from both primary and secondary sources. The research provides an insight to the shifts in foreign policy orientations in Germany since 1990 and depicts the importance of having a strong foreign policy orchestration.