Treaty of Warsaw (1970)

The Warsaw Treaty is a treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the People's Republic of Poland. The contract was signed on 7 December 1970 and on 17 May 1972 by the German Bundestag ratified (Federal Law Gazette 1972 II p 362 et seq.)

Negotiations

From the Polish side first inroads into the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Federal Republic of Germany have been made in the second half of the 1950s, without having to be received in Germany on it. An agreement on the exchange of trade missions from 1963 then went back to a German initiative. The Polish side made further agreements on the clarification of the border issue dependent. The offer for the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1967 from Poland refused. In 1969 Władysław Gomulka suggested negotiations on the recognition of the Oder -Neisse border. Soon after the formation of the social-liberal government began negotiations to violence waivers with Poland and the USSR. As of February 1970 several rounds of talks were held in Warsaw. This resulted in the specific contract negotiations in November 1970.

The contract was finally signed by Chancellor Willy Brandt and the Polish Prime Minister Józef Cyrankiewicz as well as the foreign ministers of both countries.

Contract

The agreement was on West German side of the Eastern treaties by which a policy of détente was operated under the new Ostpolitik. In fact, the Warsaw Treaty is, in whole: Treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the People's Republic of Poland on the basis of the normalization of their bilateral relations.

This secured the Federal Republic agreed at the Potsdam Conference between the Allies Oder- Neisse line as Poland's western frontier in fact to by both countries confirmed that their borders are inviolable. You agree not to raise any territorial claims, and are committed to non-violence for the purposes of the United Nations.

Basis of the relationship is the Charter of the United Nations.

To signal that the contract would not affect the rights of former allies in relation to Germany as a whole and to Berlin, as a peace treaty was still pending, it came in the pre-contractual phase to an exchange of notes by the German government with the Western Allies France, Great Britain and U.S.. This Exchange was informed on 20 November the Polish government. It was found that the federal government would act only to the Federal Republic and the rights of the victorious powers would not be affected. So the title of the final regulations has been the limits formally protected by a peace treaty. In return, the Polish government agreed to allow for humanitarian reasons, to a limited extent, persons who should be considered as an ethnic German, leave.

Political implementation

On the day of signing Brandt knelt in front of the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes. This gesture went down in history as a knee fall of Warsaw. Even in Warsaw founded Willy Brandt his policy in a televised speech. In it he stated that the treaty preisgäbe nothing " was not long been playful ", not of those who wore responsibility in the Federal Republic, " but of a criminal regime, Nazism. "

Domestically, the Warsaw Treaty was highly controversial. The possibility of an agreement with the People's Republic of Poland was much more controversial than the previously completed the Moscow Treaty in the German public. In particular, the expellees defended themselves against a possible recognition of the Oder -Neisse line. But between 1967 and March 1970 went to polls, the number of contract opponent from 35 to 25 % back. Nevertheless, the Brandt-Scheel government still had to reckon with a significant minority in the country.

The CDU / CSU opposition accused Chancellor Willy Brandt that he divulge German interests and the Federal Republic was not entitled prior to the conclusion of a peace treaty, to renounce the territories east of the Oder- Neisse line.

Also in connection with the debate on the Eastern Treaties changed MPs as Herbert Hupka from the government to the opposition camp. The government survived only just on 27 April 1972, a vote of no confidence. It began negotiations between the government and opposition in particular on the attitude to the Eastern Treaties. A proposed resolution of the Bundestag came towards the opposition. It stated that the contract is not prejudging a peace settlement, as an amicable adjustment of the boundaries is possible. In the Union there were leaders like Rainer Barzel, and Richard von Weizsäcker, who were for a consent in this context. Others, such as Franz Josef Strauss and most displaced politicians were adamantly opposed. In the vote on the Ostverträge therefore contained most of CDU and CSU Members of the voice. Against the Warsaw Pact agreed only 17 MPs. As such, the majority of the opposition, the ratification of the treaties at least not prevented; the joint declaration of the Bundestag was adopted almost unanimously. Also in the Bundesrat, the union governed countries abstained. On 3 June 1972 after the ratification of the Moscow and Warsaw Treaty by the USSR and Poland, the Treaties entered into force. On the same day, the Federal Republic and Poland established diplomatic relations.

The Polish government Władysław Gomulka hoped that the foreign policy success of this treaty would distract the public from domestic problems, and increased the prices of consumer goods shortly thereafter by up to 38%. However, the expectations were not fulfilled. Instead, it came soon after the uprising of December 1970.

Further development

After German reunification, Germany and Poland concluded on 14 November 1990 with the German - Polish border treaty an international treaty, in which they committed the Oder- Neisse line finally: the parties they confirmed as " inviolable " border between the two countries. According to Chancellor Helmut Kohl this was a condition of Mikhail Gorbachev for the approval of German unity, but this is denied by this.