***Opposition to government, 1949-89 Flashcards

1
Q

Which party was banned in 1952?

A

The Socialist Reich Party (under Article 21 of the Basic Law)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What happened to vote allocations and seats in the Bundestag?

A

In 1953 these were changed to make it harder for small political parties to gain a seat. This was restricted even further in 1957.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Which party was banned in 1956?

A

The German Communist Party (KPD) - declared unconstitutional.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Who were most critical of Adenauer’s government?

A

Left-wing sympathisers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Why did left-wing sympathisers criticise Adenauer’s government?

A
  • His Atlanticisit aim to establish closer ties to the west was seen as jeopardising the prospect of unification with the GDR.
  • Criticised his ‘chancellor democracy’ - his administration was seen as working against democracy.
  • Year zero approach - allowing ex-Nazis into the civil service.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Which party was not allowed to be represented in government after the first elections in 1949?

A

The SPD - despite receiving 29.2% of votes.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What did communists do in 1953?

A

In Munich, approximately 600 communists clashed with the police, who used water cannon to disperse the marchers.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Why did Germany’s younger generation protest against the government of the FRG in the 1960s?

A
  • They objected to the year zero principle - they wanted to confront Germany’s past and objected to ex-Nazis being in positions of political power - adopted the slogan “What did you do in the war, Daddy?”
  • Protested against the FRG’s military - involvement with the West through NATO and the possibility that Germany might begin to build and store nuclear weapons.
  • Joined the discontent with the way the USA was conducting the war in Vietnam (1954-75) - USA was the face of money-grabbing, repressive and imperialist capitalism.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What are two examples of protest groups in the 1960s?

A
  • Extra-Parliamentary Opposition (APO)
  • German Socialist Student Union (SDS)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Why did the APO come about?

A

As a result of the disbanding of the KPD (1952) and the reduced radicalisation of the SPD from 1959. They felt unrepresented and felt extra-parliamentary opposition was necessary die to the lack of opposition in the Bundestag.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

How were the SDS formed?

A

They had been a part of the SPD but broke away in 1961 due to feeling the party was becoming less and less radical, no longer representing the beliefs of its members.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What did the SDS protest about?

A
  • Vietnam War
  • Nuclear weapons
  • Former Nazi officials (the Auschwitz generation) holding office in government
  • The FRG’s involvement in NATO
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Who was leader of the SDS from 1965?

A

Rudi Dutschke

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What happened to Rudi Dutschke?

A

He was shot in April 1968 by a right-wing fanatic.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What did the shooting of Dutschke spark?

A

The Easter riots, a series of attacks on offices of the Springer Press (a right-wing newspaper which frequently criticised student protests) all over Germany.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What did the SDS take part in in May 1968?

A

The last major demonstration against the Emergency Law - approximately 80,000 people from various organisations protested against it, seeing it as a violation of the Basic Law’s human rights principle.

17
Q

Which active right-wing movement gained traction in the. 1960s?

A

The neo-Nazi NPD (National Democratic Party), founded in 1964. It gained representation in several local Länd parliaments.

18
Q

Which terrorist group was formed in 1969?

A

The West Berlin Tupamaros

19
Q

What did the West Berlin Tupamaros do?

A

They set off a series of bombs in West Berlin and later disbanded following the police shooting and imprisonment of the group’s leaders in 1971.

20
Q

Which terrorist group faced imprisonment in 1969?

A

Kommune I groups - members faced imprisonment when they tried to bomb the motorcade containing US president Richard Nixon on a state visit to the FRG.

21
Q

Which terrorist group acted in February 1971?

A

The Socialist Patients Collective (SPK) attempted and failed to bomb the train that the President of the FRG was in.

22
Q

What happened during the Munich Olympics in 1972?

A

Black September Palestinian guerillas attacked the quarters of the Israeli team, killing two athletes and taking 9 hostage. They demanded the release of the Baader-Meinhof Gang leaders, along with 234 prisoners held in Israeli jails.

23
Q

What did the Baader-Meinhof gang conduct between 1970-72?

A

A series of bank robberies.

24
Q

What did the Baader-Meinhof gang do in May 1972?

A

They bombed the headquarters of the US army in Frankfurt’s and Heidelburg, police stations on Augsburg and Munich, and the Hamburg headquarters of the Springer press.

25
Q

What happened to all members of the Baader-Meinhof gang in 1975?

A

They were arrested and some placed in solitary confinement.

26
Q

What outbreak of terrorism happened in 1985?

A

The US airbases in Rein-Main and Frankfurt Airport were bombed.

27
Q

What organisations were set up in 1950 and 1956 respectively?

A

The BfV and the BND

28
Q

Why were the BfV and BND set up?

A

To investigate people suspected of working against the Basic Law.

29
Q

How were the BfV and BND initially restricted?

A

Civil rights liberties meant they were forbidden to open mail, search homes or monitor phone calls.

30
Q

How did the Emergency Law increase the powers of the BfV and BND?

A

Allowed them to open mail, search homes, monitor phone calls, have wider powers of arrest and detention. Allowed police activity to track down terrorists.

31
Q

What system was introduced which gave the BND centralised access to all police information?

A

The BEFA system

32
Q

What was established after the shooting of Israeli athletes in 1972?

A

GSG-9 was established as a special operations unit to act against terrorists. It had close links to the British SAS and the US army’s Delta Force, and operated worldwide.

33
Q

What is an example of GSG-9 experiencing success?

A

In October 1977, a team successfully rescued hostages on a plane which had been hijacked on the way to Frankfurt.

34
Q

What was introduced in 1950?

A

An employment ban which restricted employment in government and was initially aimed at political parties which could pose a threat to democracy (such as the KPD).

35
Q

What was introduced in 1972?

A

The Anti-Radical Decree - to allow the vetting of people applying for public sector jobs.