The Art of Power: The ‘Kohl System', Leadership and Deutschlandpolitik 1

This article examines Helmut Kohl’s leadership style by analysing his approach to Deutschlandpolitik, or policy regarding Germany’s division, during the 1980s. It shows how he held to the traditional normative position that Bonn had a right to pursue national unity, but also presided over pragmatic negotiations with Communist East Germany. Through research based on exclusive access to official government documents from the era before 1989, this article examines how Kohl’s role – his selective involvement with policy detail and heavy focus on politically salient issues – served to maximise his own political security and his coalition’s stability.