In the 1950s, Spain was not a primary partner for the Federal Republic, but it was still a special one. This was mainly due to the Spanish Civil War, in which Germans had fought on both sides. The victorious Franco regime had been established with military assistance from Hitler. This alliance and Spain's proximity to Germany during World War II made it an internationally ostracized outsider in the immediate post-war period. However, the Cold War brought Madrid closer to the Western community. In this context, the Federal Republic developed its policy towards Spain. In addition to analyzing the political, cultural, economic, and military-political relations, this study addresses the differing images of Spain held by the government and the opposition and examines the European and Atlantic entanglements of Bonn's foreign policy.