P/P/96. Dissertation. The role of Chancellor Adenauer in the post-war history of West Germany

The dissertation investigates the implications of the foreign policy of West Germany after 1949 and the role of Chancellor Konrad Adenauer in the process of European Integration. The aim of the dissertation is to evaluate the domestic political sphere in West Germany in historic perspective. The author's objective is to comment on the influence of the Western Allies in the sphere of the country's foreign policy. Proceeding from a literature review of the works of Altmann, (1960), Binder (1969), Crawley (1973), Donhoff ( 1982) Bark (1993), Boehling (1996), etc., the paper highly rates the achievements of Konrad Adenauer in FRG's economic recovery and its speedy integration into the Western European community. Using the method of observation and analysis the dissertation admits that these challenges were largely facilitated by financial and military support of other countries, particularly the United States of America. However, as the author writes in conclusion, this positive impact ruled out the possibility of immediate unification with the German Democratic Republic, which was mostly due to the Chancellor's aggressive proƒWestern foreign policy. Close affiliation with France that antagonized other members of the European Economic Community and Great Britain, is considered among his other political faults.