Ostpolitik
What Ostpolitik means in History A-Level, as defined for AQA, Pearson Edexcel.
Definitions of Ostpolitik
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Reference: Pearson Edexcel
Initiated by West Germany in the late 1960s, it led to agreements that increased travel and communication between the two German states.
Willy Brandt's policy that normalised relations between East and West Germany, paving the way for the 1975 Helsinki Accords.
Associated with Brandt from 1965, it helped maintain stability, though challenged by terrorism and economic shifts.
West Germany's attempt, from 1969, to ease relations with the East.
Topics that use Ostpolitik
- 2R The Cold War, c1945–1991 – The Brezhnev era, 1972–1985 (A-level only) (AQA A-Level)
- Life in East Germany, 1949–85 (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
- Political and governmental change, 1918–89 (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
- The development of the East German state, 1961–85 (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
Related terms
- Basic Law (Grundgesetz)
- Basic Treaty
- COMECON and economic dependency
- Consent, conformity and dissent
- Consumer goods and living standards
- Covert operations
- Democracy and dictatorship
- Détente
Using Ostpolitik in the exam
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