creation of the FRG

Question 1

when was the Potsdam Conference?

Answer 1

17 July 1945

Question 2

what was discussed at the Potsdam Conference?

Answer 2

• plan for German reconstruction
• splitting of Germany into 4 zones
• splitting of Berlin into 4 zones
• setting up of the Allied Control Council

Question 3

when was the FRG officially created?

Answer 3

May 1949

Question 4

what were the 3 zones in the FRG in 1945?

Answer 4

British Zone
French Zone
American Zone

Question 5

what were the aims of the KPD in the FRG?

Answer 5

• wanted German socialism
• land reform
• new education system
• a democratic government

Question 6

when did the SPD re-form?

Answer 6

15 June 1945

Question 7

what were the aims of the reformed SPD?

Answer 7

• wanted to include the Allies in reconstruction plans
• nationalisation of banks and key industries
• social welfare system
• was anti-communist (like in Weimar)

was more radical than the KPD

Question 8

what were the 2 Christian parties?

Answer 8

the CDU
Christian Democratic Union

the CSU
Christian Social Union of Bavaria

Question 9

what was the biggest shared aim of the Christian parties?

Answer 9

social support for the poorest

Question 10

why did the faith-based and Liberal parties combine with each other?

Answer 10

they realised that their support would increase if the voters voted for one party instead of their votes being spread out

Question 11

what did the faith-based parties merge into and when?

Answer 11

in 1949 the CDU was the Christian Party

Question 12

what and when did the Liberal parties merge into?

Answer 12

the FDP
Free Democracy Party
1947

Question 13

why was the Marshall Plan set up by the West?

Answer 13

to give economic support to European countries that were at the threat of being under the Soviet sphere of influence

Question 14

what did the Allies view Germany as?

Answer 14

a buffer zone to the Soviets which should remain politically and militarily powerless

Question 15

what was the Basic Law?

Answer 15

the constitution of West Germany

Question 16

when was the Basic Law ratified?

Answer 16

23 May 1949

Question 17

what did the Basic Law promise?

Answer 17

• equal rights to all German citizens
• free speech and freedom to form unions
• no censorship
• state education for all

Question 18

what does Article 20 of the Basic Law state?

Answer 18

that the FRG is a democratic social federal state

Question 19

what does Article 21 of the Basic Law state?

Answer 19

that political parties must publicly account for their actions

any party which seek to undermine the free democratic order or endanger the FRG is unconstitutional…

Question 20

what did Article 21 allow courts to do?

Answer 20

gave them the ability to ban extremist parties

Question 21

when was the 5% rule introduced?

Answer 21

in 1953

Question 22

what did the 5% rule mean?

Answer 22

any party which achieves less than 5% of the vote was barred from parliament

this stops any small extremist parties trying to get a foothold in the Bundestag

Question 23

why did the Communist Party do bad in elections?

Answer 23

because West Germans did not like the Soviets and therefore this dislike branched to communism

Question 24

what happened to the Communist Party in 1956?

Answer 24

it was banned by the Constitution Court:

both for getting less than 5% of the vote and because of Article 21 for being an extremist party

Question 25

after how many years is a new President elected in the FRG?

Answer 25

every 5 years

Question 26

what was the election system in the FRG?

Answer 26

proportional representation

Question 27

who was the first leader of the reformed SPD?

Answer 27

Kurt Schumacher

Question 28

how were the FRG and Weimar similar?

Answer 28

federal
parliamentary
democratic
republican