Theme 1- Political and Governmental Change 1945-1989 Flashcards
What was the situation in post war Germany?
Economic ruins as the currency collapsed, 4 million Germans were dead, severe housing shortage, buildings destroyed. The government introduced a Year Zero plan to build Germany back up again from nothing.
What was decided at the Potsdam Conference?
- De-Nazification
- De-militarisation
- Deindustrialisation
- Democratisation
When did Trizonia become the Federal Republic of Germany?
23rd May 1949 with the creation of the Basic Law.
Why did the Allies give so much assistance to Germany post war?
Imposing ToV style punishments would just lead to resentment and opposition like it did after WW1 and they didn’t want Germany starting another war. They wanted to help Germany recover so that Germany could become an ally against the USSR in the Cold War. Germany was very weak after the war so economic sanctions were unnecessary, especially when they wanted to help German recovery.
How did political parties change?
The SPD’s policies became more radical than the KPD’s policies as the KPD became a lot less radical and supportive of democracy because of the Cold War. Two Christian parties were set up when the major religious party in Weimar had been Catholic (the ZP). They all wanted to avoid the divisions of the 1920s that had helped the Nazis come to power so they were more willing to cooperate. However, a small number of liberal centrist parties still existed and formed the FDP.
What did the Basic Law promise to citizens?
A free and liberal parliamentary democracy with equal rights, free speech and no censorship, universal suffrage over 18 and free state education.
How did the voting structure change?
The Bundestag was made up of 598 seats: half elected through first past the post and half through proportional representation. Each party also had to receive at least 5% of the vote to have any seats in the Bundestag to prevent the rise of extremist fringe parties.
How did the Chancellor’s position change?
The Chancellor became the most powerful figure who was the leader of the largest party in the Bundestag and he couldn’t be removed by a vote of no confidence unless an alternative leader could form a majority in the Bundestag.
What did Article 21 of the Basic Law allow the FRG to do?
Parties could be banned by the Federal Constitutional Court if they were undemocratic .
How did the role of federal governments change?
Länder governments had more power than under Nazi or Weimar. All federal bills had to be submitted to the Bundesrat (federal council with members from Lander governments) for approval.
How did the role of the President change?
The President became a ceremonial figure who had no emergency powers. He could only stand for one election and could not remove the Chancellor.
What were the election trends in the FRG like?
The vote was very close in 1949 but the gap between the CDU/CSU and the SPD increased over time. Coalitions still exist but they were more stable and less complicated. Adenauer even managed a majority of the vote in 1957. Elections took place every 4 years.
What were Adenauer’s main goals as Chancellor?
He was a pragmatic politician and favoured the middle ground of politics to appeal to moderates who favoured stability over experimentation. Had the famous slogan ‘No experiments’ which appealed to conservatives. He also wanted to win the support of formed Nazi supporters and even included 39 former Nazis in his new foreign ministry. He had strong anti-communist sentiment and wanted to develop relations with Western Europe.
Which domestic policy was unsuccessful and put the social welfare budget under considerable pressure?
The Pensions Act 1957.
When did the FRG join the EEC?
1949 and it became a key member of the EEC.
