German Chancellor Willy Brandt kneeled at the monument to the victims of the Warsaw Ghetto on December 7, 1970. The photograph circulated the world. After 25 years of the Second World War, it became a symbol of German reconciliation. Brandt also signed the Treaty of Warsaw between Germany and Poland on the same day. Treaties with eastern Europe laid the groundwork for a reformed peace architecture. In the Basic Treaty of 1973, the GDR and the Federal Republic agreed to establish “normal neighborly relations.” The two German states also became members of the United Nations in 1973. In 1974, Willy Brandt resigned as Federal Chancellor after a GDR spy in his immediate circle was unmasked.
A worldwide economic crisis hard-hit Germany following 1973, soaring oil prices and record unemployment jumped from 300,000 in 1973 to 1.1 million in 1975. The Ruhr region was the hardest hit since its easy-to-access coal mines dried up, and German coal was no longer competitive. The Ruhr steel industry also suffered sharp declines as lower-cost suppliers, such as Japan, undercut its prices. The welfare system provided a safety net for many unemployed workers, and many factories started focusing on high-profit specialty items.
Here are some fascinating vintage photos that will take you back to the 1970s in Germany.
