Opposition in the FRG

Question 1

What allowed opposition in the FRG?

Answer 1

• It’s democratic nature and the Basic Law

- This allowed freedom of speech, allowing opposition to exist both inside and outside of the Bundestag

Question 2

During the 1950’s was opposition a concern within the FRG?

Answer 2

There was more pressing issues in establishing the FRG:

• Rebuilding the gov, a sense of identity to allow later reunification
• Rebuilding the economy and the physical aspects of the country
• Wanting to integrate back into Europe and a re-established party

Question 3

What party did oppose in the 1950’s and why?

Answer 3

• The SPD as they were left out of the coalition
• They voiced against Adenauer
• Against the ‘year zero’ approach, allowance of Nazi membership and desire to integrate with Europe, hampering unification with the East

Question 4

When did the KPD march in Munich and why?

Answer 4

• After being banned, 6,000 communists marched in Munich
• They felt unrepresented and unjustly silenced as they were not extremists, they wanted German Socialism
• Police had dispersed them with water cannons

Question 5

In the 1960’s what was the youth attitude to the ‘year zero’ approach?

Answer 5

• They opposed Article 131 under Adenauer
• They asked “What did you do in the war, Daddy”, spinning the British WW1 recruitment poster
• They were opposed to the ideas of the older generation having contributed to Nazi atrocities now living a stable life

Question 6

In the 1960’s what did the youth think of the West?

Answer 6

• They were opposed to the FRG military and its joining of NATO in fears that they would begin building atomic weapons or allowing storage of them
• They criticised USA for the way they were handling the Vietnam war and were called money-grabbing and exercising repressive capitalism

Question 7

What was the APO and why was it established?

Answer 7

• Extra Parliamentary Opposition
• These were left-wing intellectuals, students, young professionals
• They were not trusting of the established government due to their suppression of the left wing
• They had a large student membership and radicals who carried out violent student protest after the SPD moved right in 1959

Question 8

What film fuelled the radical ideas of the APO?

Answer 8

• Viva Maria! in December 1965

- Showed a radical revolutionary lifestyle with use of guns, bombs and social revolution

Question 9

What was the SDS and why did it break from the SPD?

Answer 9

• The German Socialist Student Union

- Broke away in 1961 as the SPD stopped being radical and expressing its real views, e.g being against rearmament

Question 10

What did the SDS protest about?

Answer 10

• In the 60’s and 70’s it wasn’t exclusively about the FRG, it was also about wider human rights
• Protested against Vietnam War and nuclear weapons
• Protested about former Nazis in government, naming them the Auschwitz generation
• They also became increasingly violent and argued against NATO

Question 11

Who was the SDS leader and why was he responsible for escalating violence within the group?

Answer 11

• Rudi Dutschke
• In 1967, protesting against human rights record of Iran a student Benno Ohnesorg was shot
• This increased membership but split the movement between violent members and non violent members
• e.g Member Gudrun Ensslin argued violence should be met with more violence against the Auschwitz generation

Question 12

When was the leader of the SDS shot?

Answer 12

• Rudi Dutschke was shot by a right wing fanatic
• This was due to criticisms of the students in conservative papers published by owner Axel Springer
• This led to a series of attacks on the offices of the Springer Press known as the ‘Easter Riots’

Question 13

What was the final protest of the SDS?

Answer 13

• 11th May 1968 in Bonn against the Emergency Law that was instated
• 80,000 protested as they saw it as a violation of the Basic Laws human rights principle
• It had allows government to arrest and exercise surveillance on them

Question 14

In the 70’s what had the Emergency Law led to?

Answer 14

• It had reduced groups who were protesting, but instead led to terrorism
• They put up posters of wanted terrorists to try help the problem
• However terrorists were in and out of prison, changing groups and giving pamphlets explaining what they want and why they resorted to terrorism

Question 15

What was the Baader Meinhof Gang?

Answer 15

• Set up in early 1970, it named itself the RAF (Red Army Faction)
• They were influenced by Carlos Mirighellas publishings in June 1969 which advised getting training
• The group then travelled to Jordan and trained with the Palestinian terrorist group PLO

Question 16

What was the first significant publishing of the Baader Meinhof Gang?

Answer 16

• The Concept of the Urban Guerrilla in 1971
• By the end of 1970 most were in prison and called for huger strikes leading member Hoglar Meins to die in November
• Led to bombing of lawyers and judges involved

Question 17

When did the Baader Meinhof Gang come to an effective end?

Answer 17

• By 1975, some placed in solitary confinement
• There were bombings in Stockholm, Paris and other cities to show support
• Terrorist activity then slowed in the FRG

Question 18

What are two notable places that the Baader Meinhof Gang bombed?

Answer 18

On 11 May 1972, the RAF placed three pipe bombs at a United States headquarters in Frankfurt. The bombing resulted in the death of a US officer and the injury of 13 other people. The stated reason for the bombing was a political statement in protest of US imperialism, specifically, a protest of US mining of North Vietnam harbours.

On 19 May 1972, members of the RAF armed six bombs in the Springer publishing house in Hamburg. Only three of the five bombs exploded, but 36 people were injured.