The article examines the problem of the post-war settlement and the attempt to solve it in the context of European integration. The author identifies two areas in which integration processes have developed and analyzes the position of West German social democracy for each of them. The first is intergovernmental cooperation, which prevailed during the period under review. The second is supranational or federal, the projects of which began to be discussed during the period under review. The conclusion alleges that Germany sought to participate in all integration projects, primarily with the aim of resolving the issue of the unification of German lands and the restoration of the state within the borders of 1937. However, the SPD made the issue of unification a priority, which was hindered by the government's course to integrate with the West.