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German History : 1 Government and Politics - Post war Germany/ FRG -…
German History : 1 Government and Politics - Post war Germany/ FRG
'Zero Hour'
Germany surrendered 8th May 1945
4 million Germans dead
Currency collapsed so good were brought on illegal black market
1945 Allied Occupation
Germany no longer sovreign
US, USSR, GB and France govern Germany through Allied Control Council
4 D's
Demiliterised
Deindustrialised
De-Nazified
Democratised
Berlin was subdivided
24th June 1948 Supplies cut off to West Berlin by Stalin
Organised airlift - 4641 tonnes flown in everyday
In May Stalin gave up
1945 Nuremberg Trials
Basic Law
President
Powers reduced to almost a ceremonial role
Couldn't give Chancellor power to rule by decree
Chancellor
Head of gov and appoints cabinet
Can only be removed by vote of no confidence
Has to have majority of support in parliament to govern
Bundestag and Bundesrat
Elected every four years
Bundesrat represented states
Was only parties in Bundestag in 1950s-60s (CDU, SPD, FDP)
Elections
All Germans had to vote
Held every four years
Parties had to get 5% of vote to get a seat
Used mix of FPTP and PR
Adenauer and Erhard 1949-63
Won 5 elections in a row
1957 election slogan 'No Experiments'
'Chancellor democracy' describing reduced powers of President now
CDU
'Father of Modern Germany'
1952 Socialist Reich Party banned
Economic success
'Wirtschaftswunder' or 'Economic Miracle' early 1950s
Unemployment fell to 1mil in 1955 and full employment in 1960s
Strong exports - trade surplus in 1952
Big Businesses thrived (Bayer, Krupp, BMW, Mercedes, VW)
Third largest economy in world (US and USSR)
Average disposable income grew 400% between 1950-70
Reasons for the success
Erhard (minister of Economics 1949-63)
Erhard currency reform (DM) in 1948
The Social Market
Construction Law 1950 - state investment to rebuild Germany
The Equalisation of the Burdens Act 1952 - compensation to victims of wartime bombing
Pensions Act 1957 - increased pensions by 75%
Foreign Policy
Joins NATO in 1955
Joins European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1950
Joins European Economic Community (EEC) in 1957
Hallstein Doctrine (1955) meant Adenauer refused to have relations with any country that recognised the GDR
Strong relations with Western Europe and the USA
Reinstatement Act 1951 meant many ex Nazis were reinstated to the Civil Service (eg Hand Globke)
Fall of Adenauer
1961 Berlin Wall - seen as arrogant as Adenauer did not visit Berlin (accused of indifference)
Der Spiegel Affair 1962
Magazine criticised FRG for lack of readiness for communist attack
Gov ordered arrest of editors and illegally searched offices
Seen as betrayal and reminder of past
Led to his coalition partner FDP pulling out
Resigned October 1963 and Erhard took his place until 1966
Erhard didn't make any immediate changes
CDU got 47.6% of vote in Sept 1965 elections (246 seats) and FDP got 49 seats who were allied partner - allowed Erhard to pass economic programme
The Grand Coalition 1966-1969
Made to tackle economic recession of mid 60s but remembered as period of political turbulence over foreign policy and welfare reforms
Lack of opposition can be seen as threat to democracy led to 1966 APO (Extra- Parliamentary Opposition)
Kiesinger
Controversial as he was a member of the Nazi Party and had worked in propaganda department
1968 left wing activist Beate Klarsfeld slapped him on the face
1968 Emergency Laws
Elected committee of 22 members (one from each state) of Bundestag could rule by decree against threats to democracy if 2/3 agreed
Led to protests - 70,000 'March on Bonn'
Extreme right wing party NPD emerged and extreme left wing party DKP but both never got a seat in Bundestag
Student protests late 1960s
Due to emergency laws and close alliance between FRG and USA
Socialist Student Federation (SDS) led by Rudi Dutschke was shot and injured by neo-Nazi in 1968
June 1997 Benno Ohnesorg shot dead by police officer while protesting
Led to more liberal open-minded atmosphere of gov
Willy Brandt 1969-74
Sept 1969 led to slender victory
'Daring more democracy'
SPD
Domestic policy
'Daring more reform'
Promised renewal and reform
Wanted all citizens to have an equal chance
Lowered voting age to 18
Foreign Policy (Ostpolitik)
Rejected Hallstein Doctrine
Treaty of Warsaw 1970 - reduced distrust between them
Agreements made with USSR, Poland and East Germany in 1970s
Declared border with Poland and Brandt kneeled to Warsaw Ghetto Uprising from Jewish heroes in 1969 ('Kniefall')
1972 Basic Treaty with East Germany -send permanent representative to others state
'two German states in one German nation'
Vote of no confidence 1972
Foreign policy strongly opposed by CDU
Nov 1972 Brandt won by 2 votes even the ill where wheeled to Parliament to vote
Elections shortly after gave Brandt bigger majority
Fall of Brandt
1974 Guillaume spy scandal
Close advisor to Brandt was unknowingly working for East German secret police Stasi
Brandt responsible for 'negligence'
Replaced by fellow socialist Helmut Schmidt
Stepped down May 1974
1973 Yom Kippur War leadin to oil crisis but Brandt survives
Helmut Schmidt 1974-82
Focused on practical solutions cooperation
Close cooperation with other EEC countries to address shared economic concerns
Aimed to mitigate impacts of the energy crisis and stabilise the economy
Increased interest to bring inflation down to 2.7% in 1978
Took lead in creating European Monetary System (EMS)
Suppressed threat from RAF with GSG-9 which was an anti-terrorist squad made after 1972 terrorist attacks Munich Olympics
1970s rise of terrorism
Left wing Red Army Faction (RAF) also known as Baader-Meinhof gang
1977 leaders (Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin) sentenced to life imprisonment
Led to murders of bankers, industrialists and gov officials
1977 known as 'German Autumn due to this violence'
Saw members of Palestinian group hijack a German aircraft in Somalia
Economic problems
Effects of Yom Kippur War in Middle East
Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) raised price of crude oil
Led to drop in production and exports band rise in unemployment (1mil in 1975)
Failed vote of no confidence in 1982 due to Iranian revolution in1979 and return of inflation
Helmut Kohl 1983-90
Reinvigorating CDU
Represented those unhappy with 1960s-70s social changes
Wanted to rediscover German traditional values like hard work, pride in the institutions, obligations and duties (alongside freedoms and rights)
Had informal 'kitchen cabinet'
Was a very provincial and traditional German
Domestic policy
Didn't reject social market but thought change was necessary due to new technology
Privatised firms like Volkswagen and Lufthansa (national airline)
Still cooperated with unions and was against closures of steel plants avoiding strikes (unlike Britain)
Foreign policy
Warmer relations with French socialist President Mitterrand and held hands in Verdun ceremony in 1984 (WW1 battleground) to show new partnership
Antipathy with Margret Thatcher as she said that Germany was not "one of us" on economic, social and European issues
The Green Party
Emerged in 1980 election led by Petra Kelly
Campaigned for shutting of nuclear power plants
Attracted communists and feminists
1983 5.3% of national vote (28 seats in Bundestag for first time)
Political Scandals of 1980s
Flick Scandal
Karl Flick one of the richest men in the FRG
Had sold 29% stake in Mercedes in 1974vand wanted to avoid paying profits on sale
Found in 1984 had made to political donations to all parties (not Greens) through envelopes not through normal party accounts
Ruined all parties reputation
Barschel- Engholm Affair
CDU Minister President of State Uwe Barschel
Used dirty trick in the election against political rival Bjorn Engholm of the SPD (eg bugging his office and checking his tax returns)
Barschel denied charges but shortly found dead in hotel bedroom in Geneva apparently from suicide
News broke day before the election