Establishing democracy from 1949

Question 1

What happened to Germany after WW2?

Answer 1

• West Germany developed into a peaceful, prosperous and mainly stable nation, with a western-oriented, pro-US foreign policy.
• Germany became a member of NATO
• Enjoyed substantial economical development (the Wirtschaftswunder) => higher living standards

Question 2

Who dominated post-war West Germany?

Answer 2

Chancellor Konrad Adenauer
- Up until the mid-1960s
= first elected leader of post-war West Germany
- He belonged to Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party.

Question 3

What was the Basic Law?

Answer 3

• It acted as a constitution

- The new Federal Republic of Germany was governed under its terms

Question 4

What was included in the Basic Law?

Answer 4

1. Bundestag (federal parliament) was elected by universal suffrage in elections. Elected every 4 years. Half of seats allocated proportionally, and half on first-past-the-post system. It debated and passed laws.
2. Chancellor = head of government and most powerful politician. Appointed by the president. Needed approval of the Bundestag, usually the head of the largest party in the Bundestag.
3. President was limited - ceremonial powers and appointed by Federal Convention for max two five-year terms. Federal convention made up of Bundestag members and half members of local state parliaments.
4. Bundesrat - made up of members of local state parliaments and had a veto over legislation passed by the Bundestag.
5. Federal constitutional court could rule on what was constitutional.
6. FRG = federal system - state parliaments elected every four or five years - had considerable powers to enact laws at local level.

Question 5

What was the difference between the Weimar Constitution and the Basic Law of the FRG?

Answer 5

the Basic Law tried to deal with some of the perceived flaws in the constitution in order to make the democracy in Germany stronger and more stable.

• powers of president limited
• parties needed minimum of 5% of vote to get any representation in the Bundestag, aimed at preventing small extremist parties getting representation.
• a chancellor and his government could only be brought down by a vote of no confidence if another party was ready to govern and had support of more than half the members of the Bundestag.
• half seats in Bundestag = proportional representation, other half = first-past-the-post => more stable governments
• courts upheld basic civil rights and could rule whether government actions were illegal.
• also emphasized human rights and pledged the government to uphold them.

Question 6

What were the changes to the CDU and ideas of Adenauer?

Answer 6

CDU

• formed after WW2 out of the remnants of the Catholic and conservative centre party.
• Catholic conservatism was less associated with Nazis than other strains of right-wing politics
• Adenauer’s CDU built itself into a powerful political party force in the new Germany.
• The party did not promote itself as the Catholic party => successful in attracting right-wing votes and centrist Protestants.
• Party also contained Christians who held socialist beliefs.
• Adenauer was firmly anti-socialist and a believer in Capitalism + pro-American foreign policy

Question 7

What were the changes to the SPD?

Answer 7

Social Democratic Party (the SPD), which had continued o exist in exile and underground throughout the war, re-established itself in post-war Germany
= Marxist party - in favour of unification of Germany.
- Their first post-war leader = Kurt Schumacher.