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For forty years, two German states embodied the ideological confrontation of the Cold War. The Federal Republic became a prosperous liberal democracy integrated into the Western alliance; the GDR was a Soviet-aligned socialist state relying on repression and the Berlin Wall to prevent its citizens from leaving. The central question is: what made the FRG succeed and the GDR fail?
Konrad Adenauer (CDU) served as Chancellor for 14 years and shaped the FRG's fundamental character:
| Policy | Detail | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Westintegration | NATO membership (1955); European Coal and Steel Community (1951); EEC (1957) | Anchored Germany firmly in the Western alliance; sovereignty restored |
| Hallstein Doctrine | FRG claimed to be the sole legitimate German state; broke relations with countries recognising the GDR | Maintained claim to represent all Germans; isolated the GDR diplomatically |
| Social Market Economy | Soziale Marktwirtschaft — capitalism with a welfare safety net | Combined free enterprise with social protection |
| Rearmament | Bundeswehr established 1955; joined NATO | Controversial but essential for Western defence and sovereignty |
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