Editing Ostpolitik (section)

==Realisation==
The easing of tensions with the East envisioned by ''Ostpolitik'' necessarily began with the [[Soviet Union]], the only Eastern Bloc state with which the Federal Republic had formal diplomatic ties (despite the aforementioned Hallstein Doctrine). In 1970 Brandt signed the [[Treaty of Moscow (1970)|Treaty of Moscow]], renouncing the use of force and recognizing the current European borders. Later that year, Brandt signed the [[Treaty of Warsaw (1970)|Treaty of Warsaw]], in the process formally recognizing the [[People's Republic of Poland]]. The Treaty of Warsaw essentially repeated the Moscow treaty, and in particular reiterated the Federal Republic's recognition of the [[Oder–Neisse line]]. Treaties with other Eastern European countries followed.

The most controversial agreement was the [[Basic Treaty, 1972|Basic Treaty]] of 1972 with East Germany, establishing formal relations between the two German states for the first time since partition. The situation was complicated by the Federal Republic's longstanding claim to represent the entire German nation; Chancellor Brandt sought to smooth over this point by repeating his 1969 statement that although two states exist in Germany, they cannot regard one another as foreign countries.

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-Z1212-049, Döllnsee, Erich Honecker und Helmut Schmidt.jpg|thumb|250px|Brandt's successor [[Helmut Schmidt]] with East German party leader [[Erich Honecker]], [[Döllnsee]] 1981]]
The conservative [[Christian Democratic Union (Germany)|CDU]] opposition party in the [[Bundestag]] refused the Basic Treaty because they thought that the government gave away some Federal positions too easily. They also criticized flaws like the unintentional publishing of the ''Bahr-Papier'', a paper in which Brandt's right hand Egon Bahr had agreed with Soviet diplomat [[Valentin Falin]] on essential issues.<ref>Helga Haftendorn: Deutsche Außenpolitik zwischen Selbstbeschränkung und Selbstbehauptung 1945–2000. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt: Stuttgart / München 2001, p. 183–184.</ref>

The Brandt government, a coalition of Social Democrats and Free Democrats, lost a number of MPs to the CDU opposition in protest over the Basic Treaty. In April 1972 it even seemed that opposition leader [[Rainer Barzel]] had enough support to become the new Chancellor, but in the parliamentary [[constructive vote of no confidence#1972: Rainer Barzel vs. Willy Brandt (failed vote)|constructive vote of no confidence in April 1972]] he came two votes short. It later emerged that the GDR had paid the two CDU deputies to vote against Barzel.<ref>Helga Haftendorn: Deutsche Außenpolitik zwischen Selbstbeschränkung und Selbstbehauptung 1945–2000. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt: Stuttgart / München 2001, p. 193.</ref> New [[1972 West German federal election|general elections in November 1972]] gave the Brandt government a victory, and on 11 May 1973 the Federal Parliament approved the Basic Treaty.

According to the Basic Treaty the Federal Republic and GDR accepted each other's de facto ambassadors, termed "permanent representatives" for political reasons. The mutual recognition opened the door for both states to join the [[United Nations]], as the Federal Republic's claim to representing the entire German nation was essentially dropped by the act of recognizing its Eastern counterpart.

The CDU/CSU persuaded the FDP to defect from its coalition with the SPD in 1982, and thus CDU leader [[Helmut Kohl]] became Chancellor of West Germany. However, he did not change West German policy towards the GDR. Such was the consensus that ''Ostpolitik'' had been vindicated that [[Bavaria]]n [[Minister President of Bavaria|Minister-President]] [[Franz Josef Strauß]], who had fiercely fought against the Basic Treaty and was Kohl's main opponent within the CDU/CSU bloc, secured the passage of a Kohl-initiated loan of 3&nbsp;billion [[Deutsche Mark|mark]]s to the GDR in 1983. In 1987, East German leader [[Erich Honecker]] became the first ever East German head of state [[Erich Honecker's 1987 visit to West Germany|to visit]] West Germany, which was generally seen as a sign that Kohl pursued ''Ostpolitik''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.fpri.org/article/2013/03/the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-the-power-of-individuals-and-the-unpredictability-of-history/|title=The Fall of the Berlin Wall, the Power of Individuals, and the Unpredictability of History|publisher=Foreign Policy Research Institute|language=en-US|access-date=31 January 2017}}</ref>