Changes in the position of German classes
Position of women
Position of youth
Position of Working Class
Position of elites and middle class
Urban working class
Rural peasants
Peasants and rural freeholders became increasingly rare.
Increased educational opportunities and the expansion of road and rail gave the rural young a chance to escape the countryside
Those who were able to cling on were able to benefit from large EEC subsidies and increased agricultural mechanisation.
Freeholders who did not farm were often able to turn there land into bed and breakfasts due to the rise in german tourism
The Underclass
Workers were able to benefit from the strongly growing economy
Good wages were guaranteed by the strong cooperation between employers and trade unions
Also created much shorter working hours
During the period there was an increasing demand for more technical skill as well as knowledge of computers however government retraining programme were mostly able to keep up and the working class were able to meet the countries needs
Moreover as many of the guest workers were doing the jobs that ethnic germans did not want to do, most german born working class became Upper working class.
However by the 80s the impact of this began to lessen due to rising unemployment and the more free market focused approach of Kohl to the social market economy meant that many working class were no longer prospering as much as before
The elites of germany were no longer as powerful as they had been during the Weimar Republic or the Kaiserreich.
The FRG, like the Weimar republic, did not recognise royal titles
The base of elite power, prussia, had been dissolved and the Junkers no longer really existed.
However many or the powerful families of german history continued to dominate much of of German life such as in political, economic and social life.
They also perpetuated there position of authority in education were the majority of university chairs and directors of institutes were political appointees.
moreover it was this elite class that continued to benefit the most from the economic development, with the lion share of income growth going to this group.
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Middle classe
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