How accurate is it to say that the SPD lost the 1949 election due to the leadership of Kurt Schumacher? Flashcards
What three factors should be discussed?
1) Leadership of Kurt Schumacher
2) Leadership of Konrad Adenauer
3) The legacy of World War Two
What kind of economy did the SPD plan?
A planned economy
Why was the planned economy of the SPD mean that Adenauer won 1949 the election? (2 reasons)
Adenauer’s free market had been successful since 1945 so there was little appetite for change. Moreover, there was an ideological opposition to anything that could be perceived to be Communist.
What did Schumacher believe was the only route to unification?
The economic policies of the SPD
Why was the SPD’s economic change unpopular?
Adenauer’s successful free market economy between 1945 and 1949 meant that people would not have been keen to move away from this, even it promised unity.
What about nationalism means that Schumacher’s policy of unity may not be a draw?
Nationalism and unity may not have been at the forefront of people’s mind.
From what did Schumacher suffer from ill health?
His time in Dachau
What did Schumacher’s ill health mean for the 1949 election?
This meant that appeared a weaker candidate in relation to the authoritarian and fatherly Adenauer.
With whom did the SPD refuse to collaborate under Schumacher?
KPD
Why was Schumacher keen to distance himself from the KPD?
To distance himself from communist
What was dangerous about Socialism?
West Germany was dominated by Western powers. This ideology extended to such a great extent that socialism effectively became a synonym for communism and was seen as dangerous.
What two kinds of puppet did Adenauer accuse Schumacher of being?
A puppet of the Catholic Church and A Puppet of the USA
Why was it damaging for Schumacher to criticise Adenauer and what did this suggest about Schumacher?
It was damaging to criticise someone who had had such a positive influence on the country in the years 1946-49 and had gone a long way to restoring the economy, suggesting that people may have seen Schumacher as out of touch with reality.
What did the CDU provide people with?
A clean break with both Nazism and Weimar
What did the SPD’s legacy from Weimar mean?
It drew reminders of the events of Weimar that had led up to the rise of Hitler.
What was Adenauer against?
Communism
Who endorsed Adenauer?
USA
What about Adenauer’s pro USA and anti-Communist stance mean for voters?
It was popular with the Catholic voter base who where highly anti-Communist
What percentage of West Germany was Catholic?
45%
Describe Adenauer’s figure?
Fatherly and Authoritarian
What Adenauer not want to do to achieve unity?
Make any compromise with the communist SED
Who was Erhard?
The economics minister of the Adenauer interim government
What was Adenauer’s political campaign slogan?
No Experiments
Under the marshall plan, how much did West Germany get?
$1.3 billion
What are the two positives of US endorsement by the USA?
1) Assures people of anti communist
2) Assures people of democracy
How did the divided Germany help Adenauer to win the election?
This helped the CDU to win because the SPD bore a much closer resemblance to the much feared communism than the CDU did.
Fundamentally, why did the CDU gain US backing over the SPD?
Because the SPD bore a much closer resemblance to the much feared communism than the CDU did.
