Political and Governmental Change FRG Flashcards
What 2 decisions were made in Yalta conference, Feb 1945?
- GER and Berlin divided into 4 zones for GBR, USSR, USA, FRA
- Allied Control Council set up to make decisions across zones
What 4 decisions were made in Potsdam Conference, Jun 1945?
- De-Nazification
- Demilitarisation
- Deindustrialisation to keep GER weak and build ship materials for reparations
- Democratisation
- Divide Berlin into 4 zones
- Sending 10% of industrial machinery from other zones to USSR and another 15% in return for food and raw materials vice versa as reparations
What were the two dominant political parties in the Western zone and who were their leaders?
- CDU/CSU (Christian Democratic/Social Union) led by Adanauer
- SPD led by Schumacher
When were political parties first set up in Germany and who led in the Allied and Soviet Zone?
- Jun 1945
- Soviet zone: KPD
- Allied zone: SPD
What had changed about KPD’s manifesto and 4 features?
- Did not want soviet state
- German socialism
- Land reform
- New education system
- Democratic gov
What were SPD’s policies like compared to KPD and what were they (4)?
- Much more radical
- Nationalisation of banks, land + key industries
- Significant social welfare systems
What kind of party was CDU/CSU?
- Centre-right party w/ members from ZP
- Focused on social welfare
How did political parties learn from Weimar and what did they do as a result?
- Faith-based and Church-based parties negotiated to create single parties so their power would be increased
- 1947 –> liberal grps formed FDP (Free Democratic Party) + most faith-based grps joined CDU
What was the relationship like between Russia and GER and what was happening?
- Cold war
- USSR made any country they occupied communist eg Poland and Yugoslavia
- West gave Marshall Aid to countries hoping they would not take Soviet’s help and become communist eg. Greece
Give one example of the cold war developing between the West and the East:
May 1946 –> US zone suspended reparations towards USSR in retaliation for their refusal to deliver foodstuffs
When did USA, Britain and French join their zones and what was each called?
- Bizonia: USA and Britain (1946)
- Trizonia: USA, Britain, France (Apr 1949)
Which two parties combined in Soviet Zone, when and what was their position like?
- SPD and KPD combined to become SED
- Apr 1946
- Most significant in Soviet zone
When were elections held across Berlin and who won in the Soviet zone?
- KPD (joint force)
- Oct 1946
When were FRG and GDR created?
- FRG: May 1949
- GDR: Oct 1949
When was the Parliamentary Council set up, what did it have to draw up, what was this called and when was it announced?
- 1 Sep 1948
- New constitution: the Basic Law
- 23 May 1949
What did the Basic Law say?
1) Bundestag was elected by universal suffrage every 4 yrs w/ PR
2) Those receiving less than 5% of votes could not take any seats in the Bundestag
3) Bundesrat is allowed to request reconsideration of legislation/veto it
4) Equal rights to ALL GER citizens
5) Gov could not be removed by vote of no confidence unless alternative party w/ sufficient support was ready
6) Possible to ban parties if they seemed to undermine FRG
7) President could only be elected for one term
8) President had ceremonial role w/ little political responsibility
How often was the president elected and by who?
- Every 5 yrs
- Federal Convention –> made of all Bundestag + some Bundesrat members
Who was in charge of federal govs?
16 Lander elected by voters in their region
When was the first election to the Bundestag held, where did it first meet and when?
- Election –> 14 Aug 1949
- Bonn
- Meeting –> 7 Sep 1949
What were the election results and as a result who became Chancellor?
CDU/CSU - 31%
SPD –> 29.2%
FDP –> 11.9%
- Adanauer
Did any one of the republics rule out unification?
No, but the political situation was so different that this would be more difficult to do so as time passed
What was going on from 1949 to 1950s and what was the problem despite this?
- Negotiations between FRG and GDR about unification
- Increasing number of economic and political ties w/ West when USSR was in a Cold War with them
When was Hallstein Doctrine formed and give two features of it?
- 1955
- Refused to recognise legality of East Germany as separate country
- No longer have diplomatic relations with any country that had diplomatic relations w/ GDR
From what dates was Konrad Adanauer Chancellor of FRG?
From 1949 to 1963
How did Adanauer create a stable political base for FRG?
- Until 1955 –> Controlled domestic and foreign policy as chancellor and foreign minister
- Excluded political opposition
- Changes to vote allocations and seats
What was Adanauer criticised for?
- Chancellor democracy (control over everything)
- Appointing weak ministers and treated them like advisers rather than equals
What benefit did Adanauer’s forceful personality bring about?
Kept FRG coalitions working together until 1957
Give two examples of domestic policy by Adanauer:
- Rebuilding of German infrastructure through the Construction Law resulting in building of 4 mil homes
- Equalisation of Burdens Act offering compensation to victims of wartime bombing and those expelled to East
Give three examples of foreign policy by Adanaeur:
- 1949 –> Achieved entry into Council of Europe and representation on Organisation for European Economic Co-operation
- 1954 –> Gained agreement from NATO to rearm
- Supported Hallstein Doctrine
Why did Adanauer want to work closely with the West, which some did not agree with? Give 3 reasons
- Become self-governing
- Quickest way to rebuild the economy
- FRG could become accepted as part of Europe
How did Adanauer exclude political opposition?
1952 –> Socialist Reich Party (extreme right wing) banned
1956 –> KPD declared unconstitutional in attitude to democratic gov, so were banned
What changes were made to vote allocations and seats?
1953 –> Changes to vote allocations and seats made it harder for small parties to gain a seat
1957 –> Changed to limit small parties even more
What did Adanauer do when restoring civil service, gov and judiciary, why did this have to happen and how was it justified?
- Allowed too many ex-Nazis
- 1939 –> All gov workers had to join NSDAP or lose jobs
- Only way to rapidly establish an effective civil service
When was allowing ex-Nazis made official and what article was this?
- 11 May 1951
- Article 131
How did FRG solve the problem of ex-Nazis when establishing its army in 1955?
Accepted ex-Nazis like GDR
Give one other example of political mistakes the chancellor made that weakened his last term of leadership:
Failure to visit Berlin in 1961 when Berlin Wall was first being constructed
Give two examples of more ways after 1960 that Adanauer enforced censorship:
Example 1:
Jan 1961 –> Adanauer tried to set up gov controlled TV, as it would be important for next election campaign
28 Feb –> Ruled unconstitutional as he interfering w/ legislative branch (elections)
Example 2:
Oct 1962 –> Supported arrest of journalists who wrote article criticising performance of West German troops in recent NATO exercises
What was consequence of supporting the arrest of these journalists?
FDP ministers resigned and only managed to get SPD coalition by promising to resign in 1963
Which two CDU chancellors followed after Adanauer?
- Erhard w/ FDP (1963 - 66)
- Kurt Kiesinger w/ SPD (1966 - 69)
What were the splits within CDU/CSU?
- Atlanticists –> wanted to work w/ West
- Gaullists –> shift focus to cooperation w/ East Germany
Which approach did Erhard take and give two examples of his failed policies:
- Followed Adanauer’s Atlanticist policies
Example 1: - Introduced emergency law to tap phones, search homes etc
- SPD refused to support
Example 2: - Budget including heavy taxation that FDP ministers resigned
- Erhard resigned
What was the Grand Coalition?
Kurt Kiesinger w/ SPD leader coalition
Why did the gov become more repressive and give an example of this:
- Opposition from small extremist parties like neo-Nazi National Democratic Party
Example: - SPD who previously opposed emergency law now voted for one in 1968
Ostpolitik:
Establishing friendly relations w/ East Germany
What did Kiesinger’s coalition shift towards?
Ostpolitik
What issues did Kiesinger’s gov face, causing it to lose support?
- He was former member of Nazi Party
- 1968 –> emergency committee established that could enact emergency measures in serious threat, which was greatly criticised
Who was in charge from 1969 to 1982?
Brandt (SPD chancellor) and Schmidt (FDP)
Until 1989, what policy was pursued, beginning w/ Brandt and what didn’t they like about his changes?
- Ostpolitik
- Several more liberal measures eg decriminalised homosexuality
Give one reason for the pursuit of Ostpolitik:
They would be divided for a while anyway so normalising these relations without threatening the peace of Europe would be best
Give two examples of Ostpolitik:
- 1970 –> Brandt visited GDR city of Erfurt (first FRG leader to do this)
- Basic Treaty of Jun 1973 –> 2 Germanies recognised each other’s right to exist
When did people do a vote of no confidence and by how many votes did it fail?
- April 1972
- Failed by 2 votes
After the attempt at a vote of no confidence, what did Brandt do and what was the outcome of this?
- Nov 1972 –> Called early election
- Highest turnout for SPD ever
- However, in 1974, he resigned as it was found one of his advisers were a GDR spy and he felt he should’ve known about this
When did Schmidt replace Brandt and who else was part of coalition?
- May 1974
- FDP
What 4 issues did Schmidt face in his coalition?
- Growing support for green issues
- Tensions w/ FDP
- Argument of allowing nuclear weaponry to be based in FRG territory
- Policies aimed at reducing inflation
When did another constructive vote of no confidence happen and who was Schmidt replaced by?
- 1 Oct 1982
- Helmut Kohl (CDU/CSU)
When did Kohl call elections, why and what was the outcome?
- 6 Mar 1983
- Unelected chancellor –> justify his leadership
- 48.8% of vote
What 2 issues did Kohl face?
- Economic problems
- Criticised for not dealing w/ corruption eg Flick affair
What economic issues were there in the Kohl coalition and how were these overcome?
- Issues: Rising unemployment and social deprivation
- Solutions: Tax cuts, maintained high spending on welfare
What was the Flick affair?
1984 –> FDP finance minister resigned as he had exempted Flick Corporation from tax on DM1.8 bil sale of shares in Daimler-Benz
