Reviews
This book is in particular worth reading because it confirms that the relations between the two German states can only be understood in full consideration of the world politics of the time. (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung), This is an excellent and engagingly written study of relations between East and West Germany at a pivotal time in the evolution of d©tente between the superpowers. (A. James McAdams, University of Notre Dame), This is an excellent and engagingly written study of relations between East and West Germany at a pivotal time in the evolution of dtente between the superpowers. (A. James McAdams, University of Notre Dame), This book is in particular worth reading because it confirms that the relations between the two German states can only be understood in full consideration of the world politics of the time. ( Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung ), With this study of the East German side of Ostpolitik, Sarotte deepens our knowledge and understanding of one of the pivotal episodes of the Cold War. (Ernest May, Harvard University)
Synopsis
Going behind the scenes of Cold War Germany during the era of detente, this text studies how East and West tried negotiation instead of confrontation to settle their differences. It reveals how the relationship between centre and periphery functioned in the Cold War Soviet empire., Using new archival sources--including previously secret documents of the East German secret police and Communist Party--M. E. Sarotte goes behind the scenes of Cold War Germany during the era of detente, as East and West tried negotiation instead of confrontation to settle their differences. In Dealing with the Devil , she explores the motives of the German Democratic Republic and its Soviet backers in responding to both the detente initiatives, or Ostpolitik, of West Germany and the foreign policy of the United States under President Nixon. Sarotte focuses on both public and secret contacts between the two halves of the German nation during Brandt's chancellorship, exposing the cynical artifices constructed by negotiators on both sides. Her analysis also details much of the superpower maneuvering in the era of detente, since German concerns were ever present in the minds of leaders in Washington and Moscow, and reveals the startling degree to which concern over China shaped European politics during this time. More generally, Dealing with the Devil presents an illuminating case study of how the relationship between center and periphery functioned in the Cold War Soviet empire., Using new archival sources--including previously secret documents of the East German secret police and Communist Party--M. E. Sarotte goes behind the scenes of Cold War Germany during the era of detente, as East and West tried negotiation instead of confrontation to settle their differences. InDealing with the Devil, she explores the motives of the German Democratic Republic and its Soviet backers in responding to both the detente initiatives, or Ostpolitik, of West Germany and the foreign policy of the United States under President Nixon.Sarotte focuses on both public and secret contacts between the two halves of the German nation during Brandt's chancellorship, exposing the cynical artifices constructed by negotiators on both sides. Her analysis also details much of the superpower maneuvering in the era of detente, since German concerns were ever present in the minds of leaders in Washington and Moscow, and reveals the startling degree to which concern over China shaped European politics during this time. More generally,Dealing with the Devilpresents an illuminating case study of how the relationship between center and periphery functioned in the Cold War Soviet empire.
