The map of Africa lies in Germany: the two Germanys and their struggles for recognition in Africa

This paper assesses the Africa policies of West and East Germany between 1955 and 1966.Special attention will be paid to the central motivation of Deutschlandpolitik (Germany Policy) for the two Germanys' relations with Africa.Moreover, this paper analyzes the means that both German states used to buy off African states and to convince them subscribe to the respective German state's stance on the German Question.As West Germany did not recognize East Germany until 1972, Bonn's Africa policy was to ensure the continued non-recognition of the East German state by Third World countries and to support West Germany's sole representation claim.Consequently, East Berlin wanted to achieve international recognition through diplomatic relations with African states.Both Germanys used financial and economic incentives as well as propaganda warfare and knowledge transfer to win over the Africans.Yet that was very costly and the heavy impact of the German Question on both Germanys' Africa policies increasingly became an obstacle to better relations with the emerging Third World.