Genscherismus

This thesis provides an overview of the genesis and meaning of the transatlantic phenomenon and tendentious term Genscherism. Integrated into the strand of research of the New Cultural Approach on Diplomatic History, this scientific study illustrates that the traces of criticism of Genscher's approval of Gorbachev's reform efforts reactivated Washington's reservations regarding the Neue Ostpolitik vis-à-vis the USSR. Genscherism should therefore be understood as a continuation of Bahrism and not at all as a benevolent paraphrase of Genscher's foreign policy style, as some authors have assumed. Between the fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification, however, the term underwent an appreciative reinterpretation on the part of U.S. journalists.