West Germany by 1963

Question 1

Economic growth

Answer 1

• the economy of the FRG was prospering thanks to US aid and greater trade

Question 2

need to rebuild Germany

Answer 2

• 94% of judges and prosecutors in Bavaria were former Nazis by 1951
• most denazification programs were abandoned by that point as well
• Adenauer had to include former Nazi Party members in order to rebuild Germany
• by 1966 it is suggested that half of the German FBI were formed SS members

Question 3

Domestic political stability

Answer 3

• West Germany was governed democratically thanks to Basic Law
• Regulations were put in place to ensure that West Germany was stable and that a dictator could not take over

Question 4

Lack of Social Stability

Answer 4

• Western culture was a big influence for the younger west German generation
• they used music as an outlet to express their rejection of the status quo

Question 5

Living Standards

Answer 5

• living standards rose due to a growing economy

- rising wages led to rising consumerism

Question 6

foreign policy and integration internationally

Answer 6

• West Germany was reintegrated into Western Europe under the foreign police of Adenauer
• the post-WW1 level of integration was surpassed in the 1950s
• West Germany was given responsibility and treated like an equal to other Western European countries
• after payments were made to Israel and Holocaust survivors, West Germany was more increasingly accepted

Question 7

Interpretations of West Germany at the time

Answer 7

• the CDU government was criticised by hardline nationalists for being weak and allying itself with Western Europe