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East Germany Relations with the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union's relationship with East Germany is unique
among Soviet relationships with East European states because of
the substantial degree of East German dependence on the Soviet
Union. The Soviet Union created the East German state; hence, the
latter owes its existence entirely to Moscow. East Germany has
traditionally served three main functions for the Soviet Union.
Strategically, it is the most important buffer state, the
politico-military bulwark guaranteeing the Soviet security system
in Eastern Europe. Second, East Germany is a vital source of
economic assistance to the Soviet Union and provides advanced
technology and manufactured goods unavailable in other East
European countries. Third, East Germany is one of the most loyal
replicas of the Soviet political system and offers both
ideological and institutional legitimacy for the Soviet-Marxist
model.
In the beginning of the 1970s, East Germany became
increasingly significant in advancing Soviet foreign policy goals
toward other members of the "socialist state community," the
North Atlantic Treaty organization (NATO) countries (particularly
West Germany), and the Third World. In each case, East Germany
supported and refined Soviet policy and long-term strategy toward
these different arenas. It is also necessary to stress that
although the activities of East Germany in international politics
could not be undertaken without Soviet support, it is wrong to
assume that subordination to Soviet direction reflects
disinterest on the part of the East German regime. By working
closely with the Soviet Union, East German leaders have been able
to advance their own goal of promoting international recognition
for their regime.
In the 1980s, however, a change of attitude has taken place
in East Germany's relations with the Soviet Union. In the mid1980s , the Soviet Union disagreed with Honecker's attempts to
pursue relations with West Germany despite the fact that the
latter had accepted United States Pershing missiles on its soil.
Although Moscow's leadership remains unquestioned, East German
officials now argue that their state is at a different stage of
development and therefore must search for solutions that
correspond to local (national) conditions. This view has resulted
in a creeping diversity within the bloc that is well illustrated
in Soviet-East German relations. In recent years, a trend toward
greater autonomy also has become discernible in East German
domestic policy; although East Germany professes enthusiasm about
Gorbachev's attempts to reform the Soviet economy, it does not
view the changes as a model for its own problems.
Data as of July 1987
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