3) How far did the leaders of the Federal Republic of Germany create a stable political state in the years 1945-89?

Question 1

After Germany signed the final surrender in 1945, what did he Allied armed forces do?

Answer 1

the Allied armed forces (from the USA, Britain, France and the USSR) took joint control of the German government.

Question 2

what was there broad agreement on and less agreement on between the Allies?

Answer 2

that ‘democracy’ should be restored in Germany, but less agreement as to what ‘democracy’ was and how it should be put in place.

Question 3

From 17 July to 2 August 1945, what did the Allies hold? What did they decide on?

Answer 3

they held a conference at Potsdam, just outside Berlin, to plan German reconstruction.
-Germany was divided into 4 zones to be run by the USSR, France, the USA and Britain. Berlin, the capital (in the Soviet Zone), was also divided into 4 zones.
-the Allies set up the Allied Control Council to make decisions across zones to keep ‘Germany’ intact for reunification.

Question 4

now that Germany was defeated, what happened to the differences between the Allies? What did this affect? Because of the existing communication and transport systems, what did this mean?

Answer 4

the differences between the Allies, especially the communist USSR and the other Western Nations, grew.
-East and West became suspicious of each other’s motives and actions and this affected how Germany developed.
-because of the existing communication and transport systems, Germany was to be treated as a single economic unit and the Allies would work to the same system in their zones to get the country ready for a new government.

Question 5

what did the Potsdam Conference in 1945 focus on?

Answer 5

it focused on disarming and demilitarising the country, decentralising it and de-Nazifying it.

Question 6

when were political parties in Germany after WW2 set up? Where were many of them at first? and why?

Answer 6

political parties were set up in Germany from early June 1945
-many were in Berlin at first, to allow communication across zones.

Question 7

what was the first party to announce itself in Germany after WW2? what did they stress they wanted?

Answer 7

it was the KPD, which had kept going outside Germany when the country was under Nazi control.
-interestingly, the party’s aims were not the creation of a soviet-style system.
-the KPD stressed they wanted ‘German socialism’ not capitalism, with land reform, a new education system and a democratic government. It accepted Allied plans for reconstruction.

Question 8

on 15 June 1945 which party re-formed?

Answer 8

-the SPD re-formed
-many SPD members, including its leader (Kurt Schumacher) had been in concentration camps under Nazi rule. The SPD had a moral advantage and used it to urge the Allies to allow Germans a greater say in the establishment of their government.
-the SPD’s policies were more radical than those of the KPD - nationalisation of banks, land and key industries and significant social welfare systems were to be provided according to their proposals.

Question 9

which party unsuccessfully tried to re-establish itself?

Answer 9

The Centre Party

Question 10

which two significant church-based groups were set up in 1945?

Answer 10

-the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
-the Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU)
-there were many smaller faith-based parties, formed with a sense of relief that faith was no longer regarded as suspect by the government. The groups all had a Christian outlook but they had a variety of other aims, although the idea of social support for the poorest was common to most of them.

Question 11

which of all the liberal groups was the biggest? What did these liberal groups learn from the Weimar government? and what did they form as a result?

Answer 11

the biggest was the Liberal Democratic Party.
-these liberal groups realised that by having a number of parties with similar aims, voters spread their votes over the different parties and their power was reduced.
-to this end, the faith-based and liberal parties in the Western zones negotiated to create single parties. These unions did eventually come about.
-in 1947, the liberal groups formed the Free Democracy Party (FDP), while most faith-based groups (excluding the CSU) joined the CDU in 1949.

Question 12

what did relations between the USSR and the West rapidly develop into?

Answer 12

rapidly developed into a cold war.
-Mutual antagonism was not helped as countries occupied by the USSR in its march to Berlin rapidly became communist (sometimes after carefully managed ‘free’ elections)

Question 13

what is a cold war?

Answer 13

it is when two hostile sides try to defeat each other by using political propaganda, economic restrictions and agreements, and military intervention in other wars, but not direct conflict between the countries concerned.
-such a state developed between the East and the West, specifically the USSR and the USA, after the second world war

Question 14

between 1945 and 1947, which countries became communist? and what did the West set up?

Answer 14

-by 1945 and 1947, Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, Poland and Hungary became communist states.
-The West, at the urging of the USA, then set up the Marshall Plan to give economic help to European countries that might otherwise take Soviet help and become communist (e.g. Turkey and Greece)

Question 15

in April 1946, what did the KPD and SPD do?

Answer 15

they formed a single party called the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED)
-this became the most significant party in the Soviet zone, whereas West Germany retained the previous party system

Question 16

what was the Marshall Plan?

Answer 16

it was the economic aid given to European countries set up in 1947. It provided supplies and money to help post-war recovery, and it provided aid to prevent the USSR from gaining influence

Question 17

how did the Allies see Germany?

Answer 17

they say Germany as a country to be dismantled to make it politically powerless and a buffer zone between the communist East and capitalist West.
-for these reasons, it was likely that the country would be divided even though, at first, this was not what the Allies said they intended.

Question 18

what was the constitution of the FRG called, when was it drawn up and who drew it up?

Answer 18

-it was called the Basic Law
-it was drawn up on 23 May 1949
-it was drawn up by the Parliamentary Council

Question 19

what did the Basic Law seem to outline?

Answer 19

it seemed to outline a very free and liberal democracy, while allowing for the fact that it was a constitution that would be rewritten when Germany reunited

Question 20

what is one advantage the new German government had compared to the Weimar gov?

Answer 20

the new German gov had, in some ways, been handed a clean slate for its work. The Weimar gov had to work against pressure from the army, trade unions and the monarchists of the aristocracy. These groups no longer had significant power bases from which to oppose a government.

Question 21

what did the Basic Law promise?

Answer 21

it promised:
-equal rights to German citizens, regardless of sex, race, political views or religion
-free speech, the freedom to form unions or other groups, free assembly and no censorship
-a state education for all, although private schooling was allowed

Question 22

what were the clauses of the Basic Law which suggested it could be more repressive?

Answer 22

it was possible to ban political parties if they seemed to undermine the FRG or its democratic principles.
-nervousness about extreme political groups was still apparent

Question 23

when did the first elections to the Bundestag take place?

Answer 23

they took place on 14 August 1949, and it first met in Bonn on 7 September 1949

Question 24

were coalition based govs avoided?

Answer 24

nope, the need for coalition governments had not been avoided, even with the consolidation of faith-based parties and liberal parties before the elections.
-small parties still took up enough of the vote to ensure that there was not a majority party

Question 25

what were the results of the first elections to the Bundestag in 1949?

Answer 25

-the CDU/CSU party (the most right wing) won 31% of the vote
-the SPD (the most left wing) won 29.9% of the vote
-the FDP/Liberal coalition won 11.9% of the vote, so they held the balance of power

Question 26

who was the first chancellor of the FRG?

Answer 26

the first chancellor of the FRG was Konrad Adenauer, leader of the CDU

Question 27

how did the USSR respond to the creation of the FRG?

Answer 27

the USSR responded to the creation of the FRG by setting up the German Democratic Republic (GDR), announcing its constitution on 7 October 1949.
-the SED was the majority party

Question 28

how long was Adenauer chancellor of the FRG?

Answer 28

he was chancellor from 1949 until 1963

Question 29

What did Adenauer’s critics object to? and what was he criticised for?

Answer 29

his critics, for example, the SPD and the FDP, objected to his authoritarian style and forceful management of the Bundestag.
-some even called his leadership a ‘chancellor democracy’, suggesting he had more power than the Basic Law allowed.
-he was also criticised for appointing weak ministers (Ludwig Erhard, the economics minister was an exception), whom he treated as advisors not political equals.

Question 30

what control did Adenauer have?

Answer 30

until 1955, he controlled foreign and domestic policy as chancellor and foreign minister.

Question 31

what was the benefit of Adenauer’s forceful personality?

Answer 31

it was that he kept FRG coalitions working together until 1957, when the CDU/CSU won a majority for the first time.
-they remained the majority party in the Bundestag and the chancellor was always from this party until 1969

Question 32

On the 20th of September, what did Adenauer set out? What did the goals he set include?

Answer 32

he set out his policy agenda in the Bundestag, concentrating on the domestic economy and foreign policy.
-the goals he set included uniting Germany and working for closer European integration. Many people pointed out that the second point worked against the first - closer ties with the West would hold back German unification.

Question 33

what policy was the SPD especially critical of?

Answer 33

the SPD was especially critical of Adenauer’s focus on the West.
-For others, this seemed the fastest route for the FRG to become self-governing and accepted as a part of Europe and the quickest way to rebuild the economy.

Question 34

what did past history show about Germanys economic problems?

Answer 34

past history showed that Germany’s economic problems soon led to political ones.

Question 35

what did Adenauer work to exclude?

Answer 35

he worked to exclude political opposition, especially left-wing opposition, in a way that reminded some people of Nazi policy in 1933

Question 36

what did Adenauer work to exclude?

Answer 36

-he worked to exclude political opposition, especially left-wing opposition, in a way that reminded some people of Nazi policy in 1933
-in 1953, changes to vote allocations and seats in the Bundestag made it harder for small parties to gain a seat.
-in 1952, the extreme right-wing Socialist Reich Party was banned, while in 1956 the KPD was declared unconstitutional in their attitude to democratic government. All KPD members of the Bundestag were stripped of their seats and the party was banned.
-in 1957, seat allocation changed to limit small parties even more.
-the moves were stabilising, but they resulted in a Bundestag that was a three-party house, with shifting coalitions that all supported the status quo

Question 37

What did many Germans at the time, especially young Germans, feel about Adenauer’s haste to build a federal and regional civil service?

Answer 37

Many Germans at the time, especially young Germans, felt that, in his haste to build a federal and regional civil service, Adenauer allowed too many ex-Nazis into the government.
-part of the problem was that in 1939 all government workers had to join the Nazi Party or lose their jobs. Adenauer and others argued that letting ex-Nazis work within the democratic system was the quickest way to move on and the only way to rapidly establish an effective civil service.
-the idea of 1945 as ‘year zero’ and no questions asked was born.

Question 38

on 11 May 1951, which article was added to the Basic Law? How did people feel about this?

Answer 38

-article 131 was added to the Basic Law, officially allowing ex-Nazis to work in the civil service.
-Many people felt this went too far and hinted at Nazi sympathies in the CDU.
-A 1952 Bundestag report named four ex-Nazis working in the foreign ministry, saying this could damage the FRG’s reputation abroad

Question 39

what did the SPD do after meeting at Bad Godesberg in 1959?

Answer 39

-it revised its policies, including supporting the idea of a free market economy

Question 40

in January 1961, what did Adenauer try to set up? (HINT: tv)

Answer 40

he tried to set up a government-controlled television station, realising that television was going to play a major part in the next election campaigns.
-on 28 February, the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional because the executive branch was interfering with the legislative branch (through elections).

Question 41

what is an example of Adenauer trying to limit free speech?

Answer 41

-in October 1962, the magazine Der Spiegel published an article criticising the performance of West German troops in recent NATO exercises.
-Adenauer supported the arrest of the journalists involved on the orders of Franz Josef Strauss, Minister of Defence. FDP ministers resigned in protest and Adenauer only managed to get an SPD coalition by promising to resign in 1963

Question 42

After Adenauer, who were the two other CDU chancellors? what coalitions did they both lead? Meanwhile, what was happening with the CDU/CSU?

Answer 42

-Ludwig Erhard (1963-66)
-Kurt Kiesinger (1966-69)
-they both led coalitions where the newly reformed SPD (with a more liberal, less left-wing policy programme) was gaining influence.
-meanwhile, the CDU/CSU was splitting between ‘Atlanticists’ (who wanted to carry on working with the West, especially with the USA and Britain) and ‘Gaullists’ (who were prepared to work with France, but wanted to shift the focus to co-operation with East Germany)

Question 43

What policies did Ludwig Erhard follow when he was chancellor and also what did he try to introduce?

Answer 43

-he followed Adenauer’s Atlanticists policies and also tried, increasingly often, to introduce an emergency law to tap phones, search homes, open mail, etc. in times of ‘serious political tension’
-the SPD refused to support these measures, but the measures were seen as another example of CSU conservative reaction to criticism

Question 44

in 1966, what did Erhard introduce? why did he resign? in the negotiations which followed, what was formed?

Answer 44

he introduced a budget that included such heavy taxation that the FDP ministers resigned.
-he could not form a coalition so he resigned
-in the negotiations which followed, a CDU/CSU/SDP ‘Grand Coalition’ formed with Kurt Kiesinger as chancellor but the SPD leader (Willy Brandt) as vice-chancellor and foreign minister

Question 45

At what point was the Grand Coalition formed?

Answer 45

-the Grand Coalition was formed at a point when the German economy was in a downturn and there was growing political hostility towards the government, some of it violent.
-opposition came from small extremist political parties, such as the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party, and from other groups such as students and the German Federation of Trade Unions.
-this pushed the government to be more repressive.

Question 46

was the SPD strongly against the idea of an emergency law?

Answer 46

yes, but they voted with the CSU to introduce one on 28 June 1968.

Question 47

What did the Grand Coalition hope?

Answer 47

it hoped that a shift towards Ostpolitik (rejecting the Hallstein Doctrine and working with the GDR) would win the government support again.
-Kiesinger was the first CSU chancellor to support this policy.

Question 48

After Kiesinger, who was the next chancellor? what was the government when he was chancellor?

Answer 48

the next chancellor was Willy Brandt (from 1969-74)
-he was the first SPD chancellor in the FRG
-the government was an SPD/FDP alliance with SPD chancellors Willy Brandt and Helmut Schmidt

Question 49

Where had Brandt been when the war was going on? and what were his opinions of Adenauer’s policies?

Answer 49

he was in Norway
-he was one of those who had been critical of Adenauer’s policy of ex-Nazi assimilation.

Question 50

what policy did Brandt push ahead?

Answer 50

Brandt pushed ahead with the policy of Ostpolitik and this remained policy for all chancellors until 1989, even though not all members of the gov, especially the regional govs, supported this.

Question 51

what did Brandt’s commitment to Ostpolitik meet with?

Answer 51

it met with serious opposition in the Bundestag, as did several more liberal measures his government put through, for example, the decriminalisation of homosexuality and reducing the voting age to 18
-the CSU found it hard to accept that they had less political power, and they worked hard to undermine the SPD/FDP coalition.

Question 52

In October 1970, what did several significant FDP members do? what did several SPD members do in March 1972?

Answer 52

-they joined the CDU
-they also joined the CDU

Question 53

give an example of Brandt’s struggle to survive?

Answer 53

after several members of the FDP and SPD joined the CDU, the CDU then forced a ‘constructive vote of no confidence’, naming Rainer Barzel of the CDU as the replacement chancellor. The vote failed by just two voted.
-Brandt responded by calling an early election in November 1972. It was, in effect, a vote on confidence on Brandt and Ostpolitik. In the highest turnout ever, the SPD won the most seats

Question 54

why did Brandt resign?

Answer 54

in 1974 it was discovered that one of Brandt’s advisors was a GDR spy. Even when it was shown that he knew nothing of this, he felt compelled to resign on 24 May 1974, despite the support of his party and others in the Bundestag, because he felt he should have known about, and removed, the spy

Question 55

who became the chancellor after Brandt?

Answer 55

Helmut Schmidt

Question 56

What was Schmidt accused of?

Answer 56

he was accused of adopting economic measures, for example, high taxation and welfare cuts, that made him as conservative as members of the CSU
-he faced growing opposition for his failure to push through economic policies and he also faced growing opposition from a new political force - The Green Party

Question 57

why did Schmidt resign?

Answer 57

on 1 October 1982, a ‘constructive vote of no confidence’ in the Bundestag forced him to resign and he was replaced by the CDU’s Helmut Kohl

Question 58

Who was the chancellor after Schmidt?

Answer 58

the CDU’s Helmut Kohl

Question 59

who did Kohl face opposition from? what did he also have to manage?

Answer 59

from Greens on the left and Republicans on the right
-he also had to manage a parliament where the media was uncovering corruption scandals that affected politicians in every party but the Greens. He also faced a sustained outbreak of terrorism directed at other governments and German institutions

Question 60

what did Kohl promise?

Answer 60

he promised continuity, and his economic policies and Ostpolitik policies followed those of earlier governments

Question 61

What was Kohl working for?

Answer 61

for unification with East Germany, but this still seemed a distant prospect despite the changes in Soviet policy that gave greater freedom to communist Eastern Europe

Question 62

In 1989, what did Hungary do?

Answer 62

it opened its borders to the West and lifted travel restrictions across it.
-East Germany was under increasing pressure to open its borders. On 1 January 1989, it relaxed its travel restrictions. By end of September, 161,000 people had applied to emigrate (32,000 fewer than applied in the previous 17 years)

Question 63

on 9 November 1989 what was announced?

Answer 63

a government official announced that travel restrictions were lifted. People flooded through the Berlin Wall checkpoints and Germany physically reunited, faced a new political future.