Country Profiles: Germany - Institute for Cultural Diplomacy

4. Historical Overview since World War II
The legacy of World War II has had a profound effect on the German state for decades.
Especially in the period directly following the reestablishment of the democracy in Germany in
1949, the Federal German Republic (FGR) was very focused upon reintegrating into the
world community by adhering to civilian power norms and values. Since then, the government
has invested heavily into cultural programmes, recognizing them as a way to promote
diversity and openness within the FGR as well as improving its image abroad. Within Germany,
cultural diplomacy between different communities did not play a very important role until
recently. The arrival of many guest workers from Turkey, Italy, Yugoslavia, Greece, and other
Mediterranean countries in the 1960s brought about significant changes in the FGR’s cultural
landscape. Since they were not expected to stay in the long run, the German government
did not see the need to improve its integration policies. Similarly, projects centred on
cultural diplomacy aimed at improving understanding between cultural groups were not very
common until after reunification.
Cultural diplomacy abroad has been a priority of the FGR since the very beginning. During
the Cold War, programmes focusing on cultural diplomacy helped cement ties between
Germany and allied nations, notably the United States and France. Unlike cultural
diplomacy pursued by the Nazi regime, these new efforts focused on promoting openness,
tolerance, and democratic values among people. Culturally diplomatic programmes abroad
were able to re-establish ties that had been severed between the people of Germany and
those of its former enemies. Exchange programmes between French and German youth, for
example, paved the way for less animosity between these populations.
Using soft power means such as cultural diplomacy was a very clear signal to the outside
world that the FGR eschewed the hard power tools used by the Nazi regime and was
willing to be integrated into the world system. Furthermore, cultural diplomacy abroad gave
the FGR a much-needed image boost. It enabled others to learn more about its culture and
society as a way of showing them those aspects of Germany that were so often
overshadowed by its dark past. Cultural diplomacy with an external focus was the best way
to improve relations between its peoples and those of allied countries, which led to improved
relations between the governments of those countries.
The German Democratic Republic (GDR) also utilised cultural diplomacy. However, unlike the
FGR’s programmes, the GDR’s programmes sought to signal to its allies, notably the Soviet
Union, its continued support for and belief in the values of socialism, rather than its support
for the values of democracy and the West. Cultural diplomacy with fellow socialist countries
took the form of student or artistic exchanges. The few programmes conducted in the area of
cultural diplomacy the GDR towards the FGR, or the non-socialist world, were mainly focused
on sporting competitions. Also, the GDR employed many migrant workers (Gastarbeiter),
mainly from Vietnam, Cuba, Mozambique, Poland and Angola. They had a limited work stay
and lived in particular housing developments. There happened to be no integration due to a
lack of knowledge of the German language, furthermore the GDR government did not
encourage contact between the different cultures.
The programmes discussed below show different examples of cultural diplomacy programmes
conducted by German institutions either in Germany or abroad.