Politics in the FRG Flashcards
What was the first political party to appear in the FRG?
- 11th June 1945
- KPD
- Stressed ‘German Socialism’ not a soviet style communist society
When was the SPD formed?
- 15th June 1945
- More radical than KPD, e.g wanted nationalisation of banks and more welfare system
The Centre Party failed to form, what formed instead?
- CDU and CSU formed which were the equivalent
- CSU was the Bavarian party
What liberal party formed?
1947
- The FDP
When were the first elections held in the FRG?
14th August 1949
What was the result of the first elections in the FRG?
- CDU got 31% of the vote
- SPD got 29.2% of the vote
- FDP won 11.9% of the vote
- Konrad Adenauer was the chancellor
What two things suppressed extremist parties in the FRG?
- 5% rule in 1953, parties need at least 5% of the vote for any parliamentary representation
- Basic Law (Article 21) gave courts the ability to ban extremist parties
- KPD was banned in 1956 due to this even after only getting 2.2% of the vote (WAS THIS A DEMOCRACY??)
Why was the FRG sometimes called a ‘Chancellor Democracy’
- Due to Adenauer’s attitude and his lack of allowance with the left wing (no SPD in his gov)
- He often appointed weaker ministers and treated them as advisors
- He controlled both domestic and foreign affairs until 1955 as both chancellor and foreign minister
When did Adenauer set out his agenda to the Bundestag and what was it?
20th September 1949
- He wanted to do two things, unify Germany and work for closer integration into Europe
- SPD were critical as they believed integrating to the West does not do anything to unify Germany
What was the primary issues with Adenauers government?
- Included ex-Nazis under Art 131, e.g Waldemar Kraft who was a member of the SS
- Due to his heavy handedness towards extremism and the left wing, there was a 3 party Bundestag
- Though he may have provided stability he was going against the democratic nature of the Germany they were attempting to build
What was the Issue with Adenauers foreign policy?
It became increasingly pro western:
- Joined Nato in 1955
- Hallstein Doctrine (1955) which refused to recognise legality of the GDR and to not have diplomatic relations with the GDR
What was Article 131 and when was it added to the Basic Law?
- 11th May 1951
- Allowed ex-Nazis to join the civil service
What were examples of ex-Nazis being prominent in the FRG?
- 1952 a Bundestag report showed 4 notable ex-Nazis working in the government
- BHE party was in the Bundestag in 1953, led by Waldemar Kraft (SS)
- In 1954 this party broke down and members moved to CDU showing Nazis were present in the leading party
- The FRG’s army were accepting ex-Nazis
When did Adenauer attempt to control television and what was the result?
- Jan 1961 he attempted to instate state control of television as he knew they would play a major part in elections
- 28th Feb the Supreme Court ruled It unconstitutional as executive branch was interfering with the legislative branch
What did the magazine ‘Der Spiegel’ do and how did it lead to Adenauer’s resignation?
- Oct 1962 it criticised the FRG’s performance in NATO exercises
- Adenauer lost his shit and called for arrest of the journalists including the minister of defence (Franz Jodef Strauss)
- Led to FDP ministers resigning in protest and Adenauer resigning in 1963
