Germany and France in bilateral and European perspective (deutsch-französische Beziehungen)
This domain examines the Franco-German relationship as a conflict history (1870–1945) that was deliberately converted into a motor of European integration after 1950. The exam tests your ability to name concrete treaties and actors, and to distinguish the rhetoric of friendship from institutional substance and remaining asymmetries.
Core rules and concepts
- Conflict phase: war of 1870–71 and the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine, the 1871 Kaiserproklamation at Versailles, the "Erbfeindschaft" discourse, occupation and armistice 1918/19, occupation of the Ruhr 1923, victory over France 1940, armistice at Rethondes and the occupation of France.
- Reconciliation: Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950 (pooling coal and steel, drafted with Monnet), ECSC 1951; the failed European Defence Community (1954); Saar question settled 1955–57 by referendum and the Saar Treaty.
- Élysée Treaty, 22 January 1963: regular consultations, youth exchanges (Office franco-allemand pour la Jeunesse, 1963). The Bundestag preamble, inserted under Atlanticist pressure, limited its scope - do not overstate its binding force.
- Symbolic and military integration: Verdun handshake of Kohl and Mitterrand in 1984; Franco-German brigade 1987–88; Eurocorps 1992; Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly 2019; Treaty of Aachen, 22 January 2019.
- Divergences: Iraq 2003 (Schröder/Chirac joint opposition), monetary culture (Franc fort vs. Bundesbank stability policy), differing roles as "civilian power" versus a state with a UN Security Council seat and nuclear weapons.
Worked example
Compare the 1963 Élysée Treaty with the 2019 Aachen Treaty as instruments of reconciliation. Reasoning: (1) Object: 1963 organises intergovernmental consultation and youth exchange; 2019 adds cross-border cooperation, a joint defence clause and economic integration of border regions. (2) Force: both remain treaties between sovereign states, not supranational law; the 1963 preamble shows that foreign policy alignment was never guaranteed. (3) Function: 1963 institutionalised a shared memory framework; 2019 responds to a changed context (Brexit, Ukraine, euro crisis). (4) Judgement: continuity lies in the consultation ritual, change in the broadening from diplomatic to societal and regional cooperation.
Traps that cost marks
- Writing a teleological story "from hereditary enmity to friendship" without conflicts after 1945.
- Confusing the Schuman Declaration (1950) with the Élysée Treaty (1963).
- Ignoring the Bundestag preamble and so overstating the Élysée Treaty's obligations.
- Describing Franco-German leadership as automatic rather than interest-driven and contested.