An essential endeavour: *Canada and West Germany, 1946--1957

During the early years of the Cold War, Germany was not only a central problem of international collective security, but it also became a main focus of Canadian foreign policy. This thesis examines the development of the diplomatic, economic and military relationship between Canada and West Germany from 1946 to 1957 with a focus on the years after the establishment of the Federal Republic. The analysis of the statements by Canadian and German diplomats and politicians allows to delineate the factors that accompanied the swift transformation process from world war enemies to Cold War allies.;The bilateral relationship between Canada and West Germany reached a 'golden age' within a decade after the end of World War II. However, once the Federal Republic had achieved its sovereignty, the dynamic changed quickly and continental realities became too dominant on either side of the Atlantic.;Having little input in the post-war peace settlement, the Canadian government approached European matters in the late 1940s with hesitancy, as the abstention from the Berlin airlift illustrated. After the outbreak of the Korean War, however, Canada became increasingly more involved in Germany. Despite lingering fears and suspicions of Germany, Canadian officials accepted and supported the Federal Republic's rearmament and considered its association with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to be an essential endeavour. NATO provided the framework in which this normalization process could take place. The Canadian NATO contribution of one infantry brigade and two Air Force wings to West Germany represented a significant policy change for a nation that had never before sent troops abroad in peace-time. The Royal Canadian Air Force not only made a military difference by assisting the build-up of the West German Air Force, but had also a significant impact on the economic bilateral relationship. Furthermore, the troop commitment allowed Canada to be invited to the London Conference in 1954.