the FRG 1949-1991 Flashcards
what is basic law
they were 4 key principals that the FRG was based on
what were the 4 components of basic law
- the rule of law
- democratic participation for all
- federalism
- social welfare
how were people elected to the bundesrat
- 50% were elected and 50% were chosen from party lists
what was the 5% rule
- to gain membership to the bundesrat/bundestag a party had to at least have 5% of votes
what was the purpose of the 5% rule
- stop to many minor parties entering the reichstag (like nazis)
what were the three main political parties
- CDU/CSU
- SPD
- FDP
what was the reinstatement act (1951)
- allowed many ex-nazis to be employed in civil service and businesses were allowed to use their third reich wealth to prosper
what % of officials were nazis in the 50s
40-80%
what was the role of the president
- more of a ceremonial role elected by the bundesrat
- no real power
name adenauers successes as chancellor
- got FRG admitted to Nato and EEC
- economy boomed
-put in policies focusing on rebuilding germany
name adenauers failures as chancellor
- spiegel affair
- Schwabing affair
- in coalition disputes over attitude toward GDR
- denazification failed
Why was adenauer so dominant
- SPD - communism was largely unpopular because GDR failures
- ohne mich
- economic/ social success
-social reforms
what social reforms did adenauer make
- bargaining law allowed workers to have a say in their wages by sitting on the company board
- new pension plan
-rebuilt 4m homes in 8 years
-reinstatement law
what was the spiegel affair
- the newspaper ‘der spiegel’ wrote an article outlining germanys poor military performance in a NATO military exercise
- a judge allowed the arrest warrants of the authors and they were arrested, even one in holiday in Spain
what were the schwabing riots
student riots in munich protesting unlawful arrests
what failures did erhard experience
- FDP resigned from the coalition
- inflation at 4% in 1966
- NPD won seats in local elections
- cuts in spending plans
- rise in interest rates
what successes did the grand coalition achieve
- gave SPD a chance in government
- DKP formed as the official communist party
- stabilised inflation by centralising tax and spending powers
what failures did the grand coalition experience
- an elected committee could take control of county in emergency
- NPD gained 48 seats in lander governments
- faced lots of protest
what successes did Brandt achieve
- reformed criminal law
- rise in pensions
- more social housing
-more accessible education
voting age lowered to 18 - ost politik
what failures did brandt experience
- failed to control inflation
- some SPD members defected to CDU
- Bribed MP’s to vote in his favour in vote of no confidence (won by 2 votes)
- one of his cabinet was GDR spy
what successes did Schmidt experience
- mogadishu issue dealt with successfully
- dealt with rising inflation
- closer us relation due to nuclear weapon placement
- opened the idea of closer relations with GDR
what failures did schmidt experience
- rise in unemployment
- growing terrorism (RAF)
- lots of opposition to nukes
what was the construction law
- pledge to support large scale building projects
when did the FDP breakaway from the CDU
1956
why was kiesinger unpopular
he was a former nazi party member
what was brandts Ostpolitik
established a series of treaties between 70-73 for mutual recognition and cooperation
what were the 1968 emergency laws
- new constitution that in an emergency an elected committee of 22 members could take control of the country
what reasons were there for student protest
- auschwitz trials 1963-65
- protest to vietnam war
- anti americanism
- over crowded unis with former nazi lecturers
what were some of the first protest movements
- sit in over uni overcrowding (4000)
- ## student protest to the leader of iran visiting berlin
Who were the RAF
the red army faction were a far left militant group that committed acts of violence
what did the RAF stand for
hated usa imperialism and the new west german government
what was the aim of the raf
to spark large retaliation from usa by attacking military bases in order to spark wider revolution
what were some of the major acts of terrorism that the raf did
- assassinated the head of the supreme court
- kidnapped another politician
- held the german embassy in stockholm hostage
why was there a growth in environmental protest
- increase in building of airports and roads
- new nuclears pershing missiles placed in germany
what was the economics annual growth in each decade
50s - 8.2%
60s - 4.6%
70s - 2.8%
early 80s - 0.7%
later 80s - 2.6%
what domestic policies led to the boom in the 50s
- wage controls removed
- income tax reduced
- industries decentralised
- credit schemes for small industries set up
what were key premises of the social market economy
- businesses free to set own wages
- state would regulate competition
- ensure workers had a voice
what acts/policies were introduced to enforce the social market economy
- investment aid law (1951)
- co-determination law (1951)
- trade agreements to half tariffs
- laws to prevent monopolies
in what ways did the economy thrive in the 50s
- unemployment fell to 0.5%
- reinvestment profits rose 5%
- old industries thrived (automobile)
how did germany solve their shortage of workers in the 60s
- employment of gastarbeiter (guest workers)
- made up 10% of the work force
what economic issues occured around 1965
- GDP growth fell to 2.9%
- inflation at 4%
- industrial growth fell to 1.2%
- large amounts of government spending
how did kiesinger help restore economic stability
- stabilisation law to centralise spending/taxing powers
- allocation of funds to improve infrastructure
- increase in indirect taxation
what significant european integration did the frg see
- joining the ECSC
- joined the IMF
- joined EEC
what world problems led to recession
- europe post war boom slowing
- first oil crisis
what economic problems did FRG face in the 70s
- paid 17bn more for imports due to rise in oil and food prices
- unemployment rose
- driving on sundays banned to preserve fuel
- 9.5m BOP surplus fell to a 692m deficit in year
what responses were there to the firts oil crisis
- spending cuts
- raised VAT
- created the EMs to stabilise EU exchange rates
how were nazi attitudes differing between generations
- older generation was ready to leave it behind and forget about it
- new generation blamed their parents and wanted to accept their past
what existing nazi presence wa there in germany
- nazi reunions by former ss members and nazi party members
- emergence of neo nazis
- nazis in government
what influence did rich landowners still have
- many devolved in to business
- many were politicians and on university chairs
what changes did the working class see (frg)
- mass industrialisation led to a higher skilled workforce
- increased representation
- shift to the service sector
what changes did women see (frg)
- expansion of education gave women more opportunities
- women rose to over half the work force by 1989
- act to prevent sex discrim in work place
- wider range of career opportunities
