FRG 1949-89

FRG 1949-89

1. Creation of the FRG 1945-49

   • 1945 Potsdam conference
     • 4 zones, 4 D's
   • Establishment of the FRG 1950-55
     • Economic Miracle 1955-65
       • Challenges 1965-89
         • Radicalised Opposition
           • 1961 Ohnesorg shot
             • -Shah of Iran vists Germany, protests, conflict with police, protester shot, increased violence
             • Increased membership, split
               • -Enslin "Violence is the only way to answer violence." "No way to argue with the Autshwitz generation"
           • 1968 Dutschke shot
             • Easter riots
               • -Axel Spinder offices attacked nationally
           • 1968 Bonn emergency law
             • -Viewed as unconstitutional. Law passed despite 80 000 protesters
           • Baader-Meinhof gang
             • -Called themselves the Red Army Faction -Published concept of the urban guerilla 1971. Trained alongside PLO after reading minimanual for the urban guerilla 1969
             • 1970 bombings
               • -Meins, a hunger striker, died in prison 
             • Stopped 1975
               • -All members arrested -Bombings throughout Europe in Stockholm and Paris but only irregular terroism in 1980's 
       • Generational tensions
         • -Post war baby boom, felt empowered clashed with more conservative older generation
         • Forms
           • APO
             • -Strong university membership. Radical theories, including prioritisation of action over words. Viva Maria! 1965 -Extra parlimentary opposition
             • Banned KPD
               • -Also distrusted the conservative government anyway
           • SDS
             • -German socialist student union -Protests on specific and wider issues -Leader Dutschke from 1965
             • SDP Deradicalised 1961
         • Attitudes
           • Zero year
             • -Adenaeur's zero year policy -What did you do in the war, Daddy?
           • NATO
             • -Nuclear weapons in FRG from other countries or FRG itself
           • US Vietnam war
     • Radical SDP
       • -Not part of Government coalition -Became a voice for opposition in Germany -Disagreed with Adenaeur allying West Germany with Europe
     • 1952 Socialist Reich party banned
       • -Under a clause in the Basic Law that only allowed political parties to exist if they didn't contradict the ideals of the constitution or democracy
     • KPD felt unrepresented
       • -Didn't win many seats in the Bundestag so they organised demonstrations in the cities
       • 1953 Munich
         • -6000 communists clashed with the police who used water cannons
   • Inital unity
     • -Political parties based in Berlin -Allied control council -All allies wanted democracy. All parties wanted moderation
   • KPD
     • -Continued during the war -Wanted German socialism not capitalism, land reform, new education system, democratic government, accepted Allied reconstruction plans
   • De-Nazification
     • Policies
       • Nuremberg Trials
         • -Started 1945 -22 defendants. 12 sentenced to death, 3 imprisoned for life, 3 aqquited, 4 imprisoned
       • Youth
         • -Tried to weed out ex Nazi teachers -Banned Nazi school books, ones with examples too
       • Year zero and Fuhrer myth
         • -Germany still had traces of Nazism, in schools, judicary, and Government that the youth later rebelled against
     • Attitudes
       • -Resigned acceptance. 2/3 before 1949, 1/4 by 1951 -Indigation (Allied war crimes) -Avoidance -Cyncism (inconsistent application) -Desire to move on, year zero Britain adopted this, while USSR was most agressive
     • Success?
       • -Adapt
       • Nazi?
       • Continuity
       • National pride
   • 1948