The initiation and development of the Federal Republic of Germany in the structure of the European cooperation in the 1950-1960s: a historiographical review

The study discusses the problematic historiography of the initiation and development of the Federal Republic of Germany in the structure of the European cooperation in the 1950-1960s. In the first instance, the analysis of economic and political factors of the European integration policy-making in Germany requires a consideration of the European Union as a unique phenomenon in world history. Since Germany is a country that dominates in the EU and its political forces and attitudes have a major impact on a Europe-wide policy, the European integration should be studied through the prism of determining the place and role of Germany in the pan-European structure. The backgrounds to the development of the European policy of the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1950-1960s are considered. For better and more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter, the author went beyond the period under study and tried to distract from the traditional German policy which for almost a thousand years had been predominantly aggressive.