opposition and control Flashcards
who opposed the FRG in the 1950s and why?
✖ KPD criticsed economic aims and emphasized need for ‘German socialism’
✖ Socialist Reich Party condemned reliance on USA
✖ SPD critical of Atlanticist aims, lack of democracy, year zero approach. wanted more social welfare policies
How did the government control opposition in the 1950s?
✖ Article 21
✖ 1949 did not allow SPD representation
✖ BfV and BND investigate people but restricted by civil rights liberties
✖ 1950 employment ban for government e.g. KPD
✖ police force on protest movements
Why did Adenauer’s regime not face more opposition in the 1950s?
✖ general understanding of bigger issues
✖ nature of basic law restricted representation of extremist parties
✖ Union of political parties reduced polarisation
✖ ‘chancellor democracy’ created political stability
How did opposition movements change in the 1960s?
✖ more violent
✖ disillusioned left wing protests
✖ rise in youth protest
Why did opposition change in the 1960s?
✖ instability in politics and increased polaristation. split in CDU
✖ unrepresented left after KPD banned
✖ rise of disaffected youth movements opposing ‘Auschwitz generation’ in office and other moral issues
Who opposed the FRG in the 1960s and why?
✖ SDS criticised the moderate nature of the SPD and various other human right and political issues
✖ APO criticised disbanding of left wing parties and distrusted the right wing government
How did the government control opposition in the 1960s?
✖ use of BfV and BND
✖ 1968 emergency law
What was the 1968 emergency law?
amendment to the basic law giving increased powers of arrest and surveillance to government.
centralised gov control during times of national crisis and gave freedom to use army within the country
How did opposition against the FRG change in the 1970s?
increased levels of left wing violence and terrorist activity, targeting ‘fascism’ and ‘imperialism’
Why did opposition change in the 70s?
✖ backlash against gov methods of control. Opposition groups felt marginalised from society. Terrorism made their voices heard
✖ ‘Imperialism’ - association with western powers. cynicism towards US moves e.g. Vietnam war
✖ De-Nazification failed
who opposed the FRG in the 70s and why?
✖ the left wing felt marginalized, and protested the authoritarian regime and failed De-Nazification
✖ Kommune I groups tried to bomb Nixon on a visit to the FRG
✖ Red Army Faction- series of bombings, assassinations, kidnappings and bank robberies
what is the othe rname fro the red army faction?
Baaser-Meinhof gang
How did the government control opposition in the 70s?
✖ 1968 emergency law
✖ BfV and BND
✖ BEFA system gave BND access to police information
✖ after the shooting of the Israeli Olympic athletes in 1972, GSG-9 was established to handle terrorism
✖ extension of employment ban to public sector jobs
what evidence is there of overall support for democracy?
✖ high turnout to elections. Only time it was less than 84% was 1949
✖ surveys by 60s showed that majority felt democracy was best
✖ British turnout continuously lower than FRG
✖ younger generations protested against the failings of the De-Nazification programme
✖ people protested Ostpolitik because they disliked the repressive communist USSR
✖ demonstrated against restrictions to democracy e.g. 1968 emergency law
what evidence is there of a lack of support for democracy?
✖ 1960s rise of active right wing movements
✖ former Nazi jurists were absorbed back in to judicial system
✖ law for prevention of hereditary diseases not repealed until 1974
✖ under year zero policy, the education system was slow to distribute democratic ideas
✖ in 1970 1/5 felt sympathy for red army faction
