75: Foreign Office

75 years ago (March 1951) the West German Federal Foreign Office (Present-Day the German Federal Foreign Office) was established officially linking West Germany with the International World for the first time since the end of World War 2 in 1945.

(The German Foreign Office Building in Berlin.)

Originally established in 1870 the Federal Foreign Office of Germany (German: Bundesministerium des Auswärtigen) is responsible for the Country’s Foreign Policy as well as it’s Embassies and Consulates around the World.

From 1870-1871 there was the North German Confederation (German: Norddeutscher Bund) with a President.

From 1871-1918 there was the German Empire (German: Deutsches Reich) with the Kaiser.

In 1874, Germany had only four Embassies (in London, the United Kingdom; Paris, France; Saint Petersburg. Russia and Vienna, Austro-Hungarian Empire.)

In 1914 added Embassies in Constantinople (Istanbul) the Ottoman Empire; Madrid, Spain; Rome, Italy; Washington, D.C., the United States and Tokyo, Japan.

Until 1918 you needed a Law Degree and 15,000 German Marks a year so every single German Ambassador was a Nobleman and 80% of them were Protestant.

From 1918-1933 there was the Weimer Republic (German: Weimarer Republik) with a President.

From 1933-1945 there was Nazi Germany also called the Third Reich (German: Drittes Reich) with a Führer or Leader.

There were no Female Diplomats or Staff in the Nazi Foreign Service and every Man had to be a Member of the Nazi Party and hold a University Degree.

120 Civil Servants were forced to resign from the Nazi German Foreign Service for not being “Aryan.”

The Nazi Foreign Ministry grew from 2,665 Officers in 1938 to a peak of 6,458 in 1943, despite Missions abroad closing as a consequence of the Second World War.

From 1945-1949 there was western Occupied Germany (Occupied with the French, British and Americans- German: Französische Besatzungszone, Britische Besatzungszone and Amerikanische Besatzungszone - and eastern Germany (Occupied by the Soviets -  German: Sowjetische Besatzungszone) with a Military Governor for each of the Occupation Zones.

The Germans in both the western and easter Occupation Zones had no say in anything related to International Politics.

From 1949-1990 there was West Germany or the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) with a President and a Chancellor.

Many of those who had worked for the Foreign Office during Nazi Times continued to remain in the West German Foreign Office.

In 1950, 40% of all West German Employees of the Foreign Office were Former Members of the Nazi Party.

In 1956, 66% of all West German Employees of the Foreign Office were Former Members of the Nazi Party (as confirmed by West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer.)

In 1950 West Germany reopened Consulates-General in London, the United Kingdom;  New York City, the United States; Paris, France; Istanbul, Turkey; Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Brussels, Belgium; Rome, Italy and Athens, Greece.

They became Embassies in 1951.

From 1949-1990 there was Communist East Germany or the German Democratic Republic (German: Deutsche Demokratische Republik) with a Head of State, a Head of Government and the General Secretary of the Central Committee.

Any Employee that had worked in the Foreign Office of Nazi Germany was imprisoned in East Germany.

Every Diplomat and Staff Member had to be a Member of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany.

Note: From 1973-1989 West Germany and East Germany had Permanent Missions in each Country.

Since 1990 there is the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) with a President and Chancellor.

Modern Germany is a Continuation of West Germany and not a Successor State (absorbing East Germany.)

There are currently 227 Diplomatic Missions of Germany across the World:

153 are Embassies, 52 are Consulates-Generals, 7 are Consulates and 12 are Multilateral Missions.

There are also 337 Honorary Consuls of Germany.

There are 11,652 Foreign Service Staff working for the German Foreign Office.

There are 5,622 Local Employees working for the German Foreign Office.