Weltmacht Wider Willen: Die Aussenpolitik Der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
A comprehensive if conventional survey of the foreign policy of the German Federal Republic from utter powerlessness at the birth of the provisional state to a position of world power attained without being wished for. The book, by an experienced scholar and based entirely on secondary sources, concentrates on the role of the chancellors, somewhat neglecting other influences. Rightly impressed by the triumphs of Western integration and pacification, by the "miracle" of Germany's regained strength, Hacke discusses all the major issues, including of course the question of Germany's division (which is deemed "unnatural" but essential to the stability of postwar Europe). He is distressed by the decline in U.S. leadership and fearful that in West Germany the qualities of leadership that have prevailed so far will become rarer. Adenauer is the giant, his successors are judged favorably, with a slight tilt toward CDU-FDP leadership, and with the implicit warning that the miracle is over.
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