Consolidation under Adenauer und Erhard, 1949-65 - How far did Adenauer create a stable political base for the FRG? Flashcards
How long was Adenauer chancellor of West Germany?
1949-1963
What did his critics say about him?
e.g. SPD & FDP
objected to his authoritarian style & forceful management of the Bundestag
What did some critics call his leadership?
called his leadership a ‘Chancellor democracy’ suggesting he had more power than Basic Law allowed
What did Adenauer control until 1955?
controlled foreign & domestic policy as chancellor & foreign minister
What was Adenauer also criticised for?
appointing weak ministers
= advisers not political equals
(Ludwig Erhard = exception)
What was the benefit of his forceful personality?
kept FRG coalitions working together until 1957 (CDU/CSU won a majority for the first time)
- remained majority party & chancellor always from this party until 1969
When did Adenauer set out his policy agenda?
20 September 1949
What was Adenauer’s policy agenda?
concentrated on domestic economy & foreign policy
- goals = uniting G & closer European integration
What was the issue w Adenauer’s goal of closer European integration?
closer ties with the West would hold back German unification
- SPD espc. critical of A’s focus on the West
What did non-critics think about A’s goal of closer European integration?
seemed like the fastest route for the FRG to become self-governing + accepted as part of Europe + quickest way to rebuild econ
Why was Adenauer compared to the Nazi party?
A worked to exclude political opposition, espc. lw opp, in a way that reminded some ppl of Nazi policy in 1933
When/what changes were made to vote allocation/seats?
1953 changes to vote allocations & seats in the Bundestag made it harder for small parties to gain a seat
What 2 parties were banned in the FRG + when?
1952 - Socialist Reich Party (extreme rw)
1956 - KPD declared unconstitutional in their attitude to democratic gov & all members stripped of their seats
When were more changes made to vote allocation/seats? + what were they?
1957 seat allocation changed to limit small parties even more
What was the result of the 1957 seat allocation changes?
moves were stabilising
BUT resulted in a 3-party house w shifting coalitions that all supported the status quo
more and more ppl saw this as a stability that ran counter to the democratic spirit of the Basic Law
