Did the FRG rule by consent?

Question 1

Why did the Allies wish to introdue de-Nazifaction policies in 1945-89

Answer 1

• Allies agreed it was one the major things required to occur.
• Didn’t simply mean finding all the Nazis and prosecuting them or making them see the consequences of their actions.
• Wished to produce a changed culture and outlook than the identity that had been imposed for years under the Nazis.

Question 2

The Nuremberg Trials

Answer 2

• War crimes trial of the Nazi leaders that hadn’t committed suicide or escaped.
• Began on October 18th, 1945.
• Of the 22 sentenced to death, three life imprisonment, three equitted and sent to prison.
• Reaction = accepted as a necessary part of loosing the war but also thought there should be an end to the pursuit of the Nazis as Hitler was dead (took most of the blame) - firmly supported by right-wing politicans and those who were adults in the war.

Question 3

Examples of de-Nazification policies

Answer 3

• Pursued differently in each zone, although many were arrested in each - 250k by 1946.
• Problems classifying who was a Nazi as some joined purely to keep their jobs.
• Problems with the process - appeared bungled and corrupt = didn’t encourage people to welcome the democratic process.

Question 4

Western Zones’ de-Nazification process

Answer 4

• Western zones seeked to reeducate the young indoctrinated - banned films, textbooks and slides that taught racial theory and vetted teachers to weed Nazis at unis and teacher training institutions, like librariarins.
• HOWEVER = bc of this there wasn’t enouh people to do the jobs. Teachers that were banned from one zone simply moved to another w/o question and in Barvaria 85% of school teachers were remployed,
• No single uniform policy - the USSR was more ruthless in weeding out the Nazis while the UK were more pragmatic by accepting that they had to employ some Nazis.

Question 5

Reactions from the young

Answer 5

• In the 1960s, there was a new reaction as people who grew up in new Germany was impatient with the ‘year zero’ policy, wanting to know what their families did in Nazi Germany.
• Disliked how sloppy the process was and were unhappy that prominent Nazis could keep significant jobs.

Question 6

Nature of support for democracy

Early reactions from 1945

Answer 6

• Living in a dictatorship since 1933, people were afraid of having their opinions and were taught that the German nation is the only thing that matters and democracy was weak.
• Allies were conflicted on what democracy should be like and the public’s only experience of democracy was under Weimar which already appeared inadequate.
• However, the level of support for democracy can be shown, like Weimar in election turnouts - relatively high as the only time it was less than 84% was when it was held for the first time in 1949.

Question 7

Other measures of support

Answer 7

• People demonstrated aaginst the changes the govt wished to implement that would restrict democracy under the Basic Law (e.g the Emergency Law).
• Marched in support of democracy and against repressive regime in other states like Greece and the govt doing trade with these regimes like South Africa under aparthied.
• Protested against the shift to Ospolitik bc establishing relations with the USSR which was a repressive communist regime - difficult issue as pro-democracy supported reunification and establishing democracy in other Soviet satelite states.

Question 8

Case of Weimar and FRG

Answer 8

• Clearly some support for democracy - a separate issue from support for the govt in power.