ABSTRACT

The Right needs to show more clearly its support for inter-German detente because it is more closely scrutinized by the press and the populace. Good inter-German relations are taken for granted in West Germany now, and politically, the government cannot afford to be responsible for its demise. A concerted effort on the part of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) to increase its trade with third countries has gone hand in hand with a decrease in the use of inter-German trade. The worsening of superpower relations at the end of the 1970s would have led most inter-German experts to assume that relations between the two Germanys would also take a turn for the worst. The Soviets were clearly displeased about the speed with which inter-German relations were moving forward. By the summer of 1985, inter-German relations seemed to be back on track. The increased security and legitimacy of the GDR have changed inter-German relations.