The ambivalence of the SPD and the end of its Ostpolitik

Abstract

The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) has been struggling over the last few years to regain its unity and electoral support. However, since reunification, the party has been declining and splintering as never before. The oldest party in Germany is becoming painfully aware that its present trials and tribulations can be directly linked to its ambivalent position immediately prior to and following the dramatic events of 1989 and 1990. This article addresses the SPD‐SED relationship, one of the most heated topics amongst academics and politicians both within and outside the SPD. It also attempts to account for the Social Democratic ambivalence surrounding the fall of the GDR and the reunification of Germany. Above all, this work highlights the struggle of the SPD coming to terms with the end of its Ostpolitik.