Political dissent Flashcards
what allowed opposition to have a voice in the FRG?
the Basic Law made it clear that freedom of speech was important
why was there less political dissent in the early years of the FRG?
the FRG had to focus in collectively rebuilding before seeking out large changes to how the country was run
what were the bigger issues for the FRG in the 1950s?
- rebuilding government and forming coalitions
- building a sense of identity
- rebuilding the economy and the country
- establishing the FRG as a viable member of the European community
why was the SDP less popular than the CDU in the early years of the FRG?
the SDP had the most radical agenda out of the 2 and voters wanted a more moderate approach
what did the SDP criticise about the CDU’s governance in the 1950s?
- argued against many policies of Adenauer’s
- went against the ‘Year Zero’ idea
- went against westernisation
what was the Socialist Reich Party?
a Nazi spin off party
when was the Socialist Reich Party banned and how?
in 1952
the Basic Law was used to ban the party as it was seen as a threat to the constitution and democracy
what happened after the KPD failed to get into the Bundestag?
6,000 communists took to the street to protest in Munich 1953 which became violent
why was there a rise in youth protest in the 1960s?
this was a trend across the world in the 60s
in the FRG, young Germans began questioning what their parents did during the Nazi regime as well as protesting against the re-involvement of Nazis in the Civil Service and the Army
which war was a massive reason for youth protest in the 1960s?
the Vietnam War
many young Germans began to hate the USA and saw it as a greedy capitalist country
what was the APO?
Extra-parliamentary opposition
a left-wing party which represented those on the left who felt unrepresented by the SPD
why was the SPD less popular amongst the left-wing?
they became less radical in their socialist thinking which helped them win elections but left many supporters questioning the direction of the party
believed in a social revolution
who were the main types of people in the APO?
- students
- trade unionists
- communists
what was the APO’s main form of protest?
university student protests
what was the SDS?
German Socialist Student Union
broke away from the SPD in 1961 due to feelings that the party no longer represented left wing values
what did the SDS protest about?
- the government
- for various human rights issues
- moral issues
- involvement with NATO
- ex-Nazis being given power
they protested about atomic armament and the Vietnam war
who led the SDS after 1965?
Rudi Dutschke
what did the SDS protest against in 1966?
the Emergency Law and how it violated the Basic Law
what happened to Rudi Dutschke?
he was shot by a right-wing fanatic in 1968
where the SDS violent?
there was a large contingent who resorted to terrorism in the late 60s and the 70s
how did dissent change in the 1970s?
it became WAY more violent and terrorism ran rife
was the Emergency Law successful?
Yes and no
it did reduce the number of protests BUT it led to many groups to resort to terrorism instead
what policies did the government use to deal with terrorists in the 1970s?
- use of wanted posters
- appealing to the public to turn them in
what was the Bader Meinhof gang?
also know as the Red Army Faction
they were a far-left extremist terrorist organisation in the FRG
what effect did the RAF have?
when their leaders were arrested in 1972, there was a spike in terrorist activity
when one leader died in prison, bombings and assassinations followed of lawyers and judges
they advocated violent actions and even when to Palestine to train with the PLO
what book did the RAF publish?
The Concept of the Urban Guerilla
why did terrorist activity slow down at the start of the 1980s?
Germans realised that protesting was not achieving anything
the FRG government were also more active in policing
what did the RAF do?
- rob banks
- they bombed the HQ of the US Army in 1972
