What policy did West Germany adopt from 1955-1970 that refused diplomatic relations with any country recognizing East Germany?

• A. Hallstein Doctrine
• B. Ostpolitik
• C. Kissinger Doctrine
• D. Stalinist Pact

Answer: (A)

West Germany’s policy from 1955 to 1970, known as the Hallstein Doctrine, held that East Germany (the GDR) was not a legitimate state and that no country could recognize it or establish diplomatic relations with it without also breaking ties with West Germany. This stance was meant to keep the GDR isolated in the international community and to preserve West Germany’s claim as the sole legitimate representative of the German people. In practice, if another country recognized the GDR, West Germany would sever diplomatic relations with that country, reinforcing the division of Germany during the Cold War. The approach began to change with Willy Brandt’s Ostpolitik in the late 1960s, which sought to normalize relations with the East and ultimately led to agreements in the early 1970s that broke with the strict non-recognition of the Hallstein Doctrine.