Abstract
The book provides a complex presentation and fresh evaluation of the fundamental changes in the foreign cultural policy of the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1960s and 1970s. During this period, German foreign cultural policy underwent major development and expansion and has been considered 'the third pillar of foreign policy' ever since.
It has been based on a broad definition of the concept of 'culture', has been understood as a cultural exchange rather than a cultural export and has no longer focused solely on the elites. Many of these fundamentals have provided a relatively stable basis for German foreign cultural policy until today.
Methodologically, the book is anchored in political history and political biography, employing a method of historical comparison. It is based on a large number of archival sources, document editions and secondary literature.
The objective is not only to examine how and under what circumstances the first (West) German conception of foreign cultural policy was conceived or which institutions and individuals participated most actively in its formation but also to assess the understanding and definitions of foreign cultural policy and its role in the overall foreign policy of the FRG. Furthermore, the topic is analysed within a broad historical and international context.
The analysis demonstrates that the metaphor of 'the third pillar' was more a wish than a reality, even though the fundamental changes in the foreign cultural policy were extraordinary in many perspectives. Their complexity, acceptability for a broad political spectrum, long-term impacts, number of actors involved as well as the interest of the media and public were unique both in German history and in comparison with other countries.