creation of the FRG Flashcards
when was the Potsdam Conference?
17 July 1945
what was discussed at the Potsdam Conference?
- plan for German reconstruction
- splitting of Germany into 4 zones
- splitting of Berlin into 4 zones
- setting up of the Allied Control Council
when was the FRG officially created?
May 1949
what were the 3 zones in the FRG in 1945?
British Zone
French Zone
American Zone
what were the aims of the KPD in the FRG?
- wanted German socialism
- land reform
- new education system
- a democratic government
when did the SPD re-form?
15 June 1945
what were the aims of the reformed SPD?
- wanted to include the Allies in reconstruction plans
- nationalisation of banks and key industries
- social welfare system
- was anti-communist (like in Weimar)
was more radical than the KPD
what were the 2 Christian parties?
the CDU
Christian Democratic Union
the CSU
Christian Social Union of Bavaria
what was the biggest shared aim of the Christian parties?
social support for the poorest
why did the faith-based and Liberal parties combine with each other?
they realised that their support would increase if the voters voted for one party instead of their votes being spread out
what did the faith-based parties merge into and when?
in 1949 the CDU was the Christian Party
what and when did the Liberal parties merge into?
the FDP
Free Democracy Party
1947
why was the Marshall Plan set up by the West?
to give economic support to European countries that were at the threat of being under the Soviet sphere of influence
what did the Allies view Germany as?
a buffer zone to the Soviets which should remain politically and militarily powerless
what was the Basic Law?
the constitution of West Germany
when was the Basic Law ratified?
23 May 1949
what did the Basic Law promise?
- equal rights to all German citizens
- free speech and freedom to form unions
- no censorship
- state education for all
what does Article 20 of the Basic Law state?
that the FRG is a democratic social federal state
what does Article 21 of the Basic Law state?
that political parties must publicly account for their actions
any party which seek to undermine the free democratic order or endanger the FRG is unconstitutional…
what did Article 21 allow courts to do?
gave them the ability to ban extremist parties
when was the 5% rule introduced?
in 1953
what did the 5% rule mean?
any party which achieves less than 5% of the vote was barred from parliament
this stops any small extremist parties trying to get a foothold in the Bundestag
why did the Communist Party do bad in elections?
because West Germans did not like the Soviets and therefore this dislike branched to communism
what happened to the Communist Party in 1956?
it was banned by the Constitution Court:
both for getting less than 5% of the vote and because of Article 21 for being an extremist party
