Federal Republic - OCC Flashcards
What were bigger issues than political dissent and challenge in FRG?
- Rebuilding the government and working together in useful coalitions
- Building a sense of identity while leaving room for reunification with East Germany
- Rebuilding the economy and physically rebuilding the country
- Establishing the FRG as a member of Europe
What moves of Adenauer did the SDP argue against?
Year zero and his desire to align the FRG with europe
On what basis did the government use the Basic Law to say which political parties could exist?
As long as they did not threaten the constitution or principles of democracy. They used this to ban the Socialist Reich party
In which ways did youth protest show itself in the FRG?
- They objected to the year zero principle
- They protested against the FRG military for NATO
- Discontent over USA and Vietnam war
What does the APO stand for?
The Ausserparliamentarische Opposition
(Extra Parliamentary Opposition)
Why did the APO come about?
Distrust of young intellectuals for the established conservative government and because there were no left wing parties to absorb them after the KPD was banned. Also the SPD were less radical from 1959
What does the SDS stand for?
German Socialist Student Union
Why did the SDS form?
It was part of the SPD but broke away in 1961 due to it becoming less radical
What did the SDS protest against?
- Vietnam war and Nuclear weapons
- Former Nazis holding office in government
- NATO
In which SDS demonstrations was Benno Ohnesorg shot?
1967 demonstrations against the human rights record of Iran during a visit from its Shah. conflict with the police escalated resulting in the shooting
Which of the SDS protesters said after the Benno Ohnesorg shooting that violence was the only way to answer violence and why did he say this?
Gudrun Ensslin because he believed there was no arguing with the Auschwitz generation
When was Rudi Dutschke shot and by who?
April 1968, by a right-wing fanatic who read criticisms of student protests
What was the last major SDS protest?
11th May 1968 in Bonn against the Emergency Law and 80,000 people from many different groups
What was the most long lived terrorist groups?
Baader-Meinhof gang, calling itself the RAF, Red army faction
How did the public feel about terrorist groups in the early 1970s?
They felt sympathy and 5% would let a member of the group stay in their house for a night if they were on the run
How did the government of the FRG react to political extremism?
They wanted democracy but didn’t want this overthrown and ended up coming down more heavily on left wing extremists like Weimar did.
Which organisations were set up between 1949 and 89 to control political extremism?
BfV and BND to investigate people they suspected of working against the Basic Law
BfV
Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz set up in 1950
BND
Bundesnachrichtendienst set up in 1956
What was the difference between the BfV and the BND?
The BfV worked only inside Germany and reported to the minister of the interior whereas the BND reported directly to the chancellor and it conducted investigations abroad and in germany
What was the difference between the BfV and the BND?
The BfV worked only inside Germany and reported to the minister of the interior whereas the BND reported directly to the chancellor and it conducted investigations abroad and in germany
How were the BND and the BfV hampered?
By civil liberties granted to people under the basic law
Which civil liberties hampered the functioning of the BfV and the BND?
they couldn’t open mail, search homes or monitor phone calls u
When was the Emergency Law passed and what impact did this have?
In 1986 as protests by students, unions and other groups became more violent, It had the impact of a drop in the number of open protests. Some groups decided that underground opposition was the only way. (Terrorism)
Which event led to the setting up of GSG-9 (Grenzschutzgruppe 9)
The shooting of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972
How much was the Berufsverbot (employment ban) used?
Seldomly, less than 100 people lost their jobs between 1950 and 1972
How much support was there for democracy between 1949 and 1989?
Significant levels of support for democracy with a high turnout of people participating in the democratic process of elections. Usually over 85% turnout
How else did people in the FRG show their support for democracy?
- People demonstrated against changes the government wanted to make that would restrict
democracy - They marched in support of democracy against repressive regimes in other countries
- Protested against the shift to Ostpolitik due to the repressive communist remind there
