To what extent was Honecker successful in his attempts to improve the international
prestige of the GDR?
Many throughout the world regarded the GDR as an artificial country and a puppet state of
the USSR, therefore it was important for Honecker to develop the reputation of the GDR and
improve the international prestige of the GDR in order to be regarded as more important on
the world stage. During the 1970s, key events such as the Basic Treaty in 1972 and joining
the United Nations in 1973 meant that the GDR had a platform in order to access
international diplomacy. Although this legislation enabled the GDR to end its diplomatic
isolation it did not necessarily mean it improved its international prestige.
During the 1960s, the FRG’s Hallstein Doctrine severely limited the GDR’s ability to
improve its international prestige. The Doctrine stated that the FRG represented “Germany”
and the GDR was referred to as ‘the zone’, indicated its poor international prestige at the
time. In addition, the Doctrine also stated that any country that recognised the GDR as a
separate country would forfeit any diplomatic negotiations with the FRG which limited
contact with the GDR as most countries preferred to negotiate with the more prosperous West
Germany. However, the Basic Treaty in 1972 enabled the two German states to recognise
each other and respect each other’s’ sovereignty creating stronger foundations to build a
better relationship on. As a consequence of the Basic Treaty the GDR was permitted to join
the United Nations in 1973 as its 133rd member. This had the effect of significantly bolstering
the GDR’s international standing as it was now involved in making decisions worldwide. The
best example of this is the signing of the Helsinki Accords in 1975. Although the USSR and
the GDR both ignored the human rights aspect of the document, the fact that they signed its
amongst other countries was a key sign of improved international prestige. Therefore, it can
be argued that Honecker was successful in his attempts to improve the international prestige
of the GDR as can be evidenced by the Basic Treaty which enabled the GDR to be involved
across many countries and be recognised independently.
The Basic Treaty 1972 also enabled the GDR to increase state visits made. The first state visit
was made by Ulbricht in 1965 to Egypt which began to end the GDR’s diplomatic isolation.
Agreements were made regarding trade and politics were announced which helped to begin to
bolster the GDR’s standing and Honecker developed this later on. State Visits that were made
to countries that were neither COMECON nor socialist had a more significant impact on the
international prestige of the GDR. In 1980, Honecker visited Austria and later in 1985 he
visited his first NATO country, Italy. These visits had the ability to improve the international
prestige of the GDR as they enabled the country to develop its sovereignty and prove its
independence in diplomacy. In addition, other countries such as Greece and Denmark also
visited the GDR which furthered the international prestige of the GDR. However, the GDR
was undermined by the fact that it never received an invitation to visit the USA or the UK.
These countries would have been viewed as important players in international diplomacy and
the fact that the GDR did not receive an offer to visit limits the extent of its international
prestige. Therefore, Honecker was partially successful in his attempts to improve the
international prestige of the GDR as he was able to engage in state visits that were neither
from COMECON nor Socialist countries but he was never able to engage with significant
countries, especially in the context of the Cold War, which limited his attempts.
Furthermore, it is also important to note the role of the USSR in relation to the extent of the
GDR’s international prestige. Many regarded the GDR as the Soviet’s puppet state, which is
partially true as the USSR was always the country with authority. This is best evidenced in
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