The Auswärtiges Amt: A 150-Year Institutional Journey

The Auswärtiges Amt traces its name and origins to the foreign office of the North German Confederation in 1870 and the German Empire in 1871. Under Otto von Bismarck, the ministry comprised just two departments: one for politics and a second handling foreign trade, legal affairs, and consular services. The institution remained the German foreign ministry through every political upheaval that followed.

During the Weimar Republic, the foreign service was modernized and given a contemporary structure. But under the Nazi dictatorship the ministry was deeply entangled in the regime’s crimes, even as a few diplomats – including Ulrich von Hassell and Adam von Trott zu Solz – joined the resistance and paid with their lives. That complicity was systematically investigated by an independent commission of historians, whose report was published in October 2010.

After the Second World War, the Auswärtiges Amt was re-established on 15 March 1951 with its seat in Bonn, and was gradually integrated into the Western democratic world and its international organizations. In 1999, as part of the federal government’s move to Berlin, the ministry returned to its historic location in the heart of the capital. More recently, a thorough reappraisal of Germany’s colonial past has become a priority, and the ministry houses an exhibition honouring Emil Krebs, a polyglot interpreter who served from 1893 to 1930 and mastered 68 languages.

Why Institutional Memory Matters for Modern Diplomacy

The Auswärtiges Amt’s self-examination is not merely academic: it shapes how Germany engages with partners today. The 2010 historians’ commission report laid bare how career diplomats enabled the Nazi regime’s foreign policy and persecution apparatus. Acknowledging that role has become part of the ministry’s institutional identity, informing training, ethical guidelines, and commemorative culture.

The ongoing colonial reappraisal carries direct diplomatic weight. As Germany strengthens ties with nations in Africa and the Pacific, officially confronting the violence and exploitation of the colonial era is presented as a prerequisite for building relationships based on mutual respect. The ministry treats historical clarity not as a liability but as a credibility asset in a world where partners increasingly expect frankness about the past.