In this authoritative book, the only work to cover the full sweep of German foreign policy since the end of World War II, noted scholar Helga Haftendorn explores Germany's remarkable recovery from wartime defeat and destruction. Through a chronological series of case studies, her book offers a document-based account of sixty years of German policymaking. Tracing both continuity and change in foreign affairs, the author emphasizes especially the importance of membership in the European Union, joining NATO, integration of the German economy into the world market, and reunification. Scholars and students of contemporary Germany, Europe, and East-West relations will find this nuanced and knowledgeable study invaluable.

Chapter 1: Foreign Policy in the Center of Europe: An Introduction
Chapter 2: The Formative Phase of the Federal Republic
Chapter 3: Basic Decisions on European Policy
Chapter 4: The Federal Republic of Germany in the Atlantic Alliance
Chapter 5: The German Democratic Republic as the Second German State
Chapter 6: Ostpolitik and Détente: Rapprochement with the East
Chapter 7: The Economic Miracle Becomes the Locomotive of the Western Economy
Chapter 8: From the NATO Double-Track Decision to the Double-Zero Solution
Chapter 9: The Road to Reunification
Chapter 10: The European Community and the Path to the European Union
Chapter 11: New Challenges after the End of the East-West Conflict
Chapter 12: From Self-Restraint to Assertion: Conclusions