Opposition, Control And Consent 1949-89

Question 1

What are two good signs showing that opposition was limited in the 1950s?

Answer 1

-no organised protest groups
-minimal support for socialist Reich Party and KPD banned

Question 2

What areas show there is potential for rising tensions in the 1960s?

Answer 2

Communication problem with younger generation which led to frustration that would explode in 1960s as student protests took hold in many campuses and city centres

Question 3

What were the issues causing student anger?

Answer 3

-government failure to completely remove former Nazis from positions of responsibility and Nazi past of older generation
-bored with apparent comfort and stability in FRG when TV screens and the media were filled with suffering and injustice somewhere
-opposition to growing materialism and political dominance of wealthy middle class men who ruled in accordance with their own interests
-overcrowding and lack of student representation in institutions of higher education

Question 4

What can you use to judge the significance of opposition?

Answer 4

-how many people oppose
-how much finance they have
-level of violence
-how long they lasted
-how achievable their aims are
-how the government respond

Question 5

Issue of the poor state of education

Answer 5

-education in state crisis, shortage of teachers, resources and overcrowding
-economic growth is not sustainable due to poor state of education
-levels reached by schools in FRG was on a par with some of the poorest European countries

Question 6

What was the student/government response to the poor state of education?

Answer 6

-5 new universities founded in 1964 but:
-universities were overcrowded and underfunded
-students lacked representation on governing bodies
-west german chamber of commerce (1968) feared that unis were creating to many graduates compared to number of skilled jobs available

Question 7

What was the issue of student representation?

Answer 7

The Free University in West Berlin in 1948 aimed a racial reputation in its governance. Students organised demonstrations for more representation in June 1966, protests spread to other unis

Question 8

What was the student/government response to student representation?

Answer 8

Government did respond in June 1966. Minister of Science and Research announced a huge increase in funding for university research. The funding (DM 260,000) was double what it had been in 1955. However it did not do much to assuage student concerns about wider issues

Question 9

What was the issue of violent response to protestors?

Answer 9

-students protested against the visit of the Shah of Iran (accused of being brutal dictator) . During protest a student was short dead (Benno Ohnesorg), in April 1968, leader of the Socialist Students’ union was shot dead by a neo-nazi gunman in April 1968

Question 10

What was the student reposted to the violent response to protests?

Answer 10

-caused widespread and violent mass protests across FRG organised/led by uni students
-shooting led to 5 days of violent protest throughout FRG and radical protestors attacked springer buildings

Question 11

Who were the radical student groups?

Answer 11

APO: opposition outside of parliament
SDS: Socialist Students’ Union

Question 12

What was APO’s reason for opposition?

Answer 12

Argued that the Bundestag was dominated by parties that basically agreed on major issues, especially after election of 1966 = 2 main parties formed Grand Coalition controlling 90% of government seats

Question 13

What methods did APO use?

Answer 13

-strikes, marches, demonstrations

Question 14

What was the impact of APO?

Answer 14

After they graduated, members often conformed and accepted careers and lifestyles within conventional society. Some became more radical and joined groups committed to change through use of violence and terror

Question 15

What was APO?

Answer 15

Lose group of left wing students and trade unions which felt radical protest was their only option to force change

Question 16

What was the SDS?

Answer 16

Founded in 1946 as the student wing of the SPD. After the SPD policies became more conservative in 1959, SDS became more radical

Question 17

What was the SDS’ reason for opposition? (Who became leader?)

Answer 17

In 1965, Radi Dutschke who was a radical former communist became leader (from GDR). Therefore, the SDS became more radical ad wide ranging in its campaigns

Question 18

What methods did the SDS use?

Answer 18

From 1966, used vocal opposition to the Grand Coalition. Tactics such as sit-ins at universities and mass demonstrations

Question 19

What was the impact of the SDS?

Answer 19

By the late 1960s, it had control of the national student body : the VDS

Question 20

What was the extent of support?

Answer 20

-most German did not support radical changes and there was not much sympathy with student demonstrations
-June 1968, magazine Der Spiegel found that 92% of Berliners surveyed opposed student violence

Question 21

How serious of a threat was student opposition to the stability of the FRG?

Answer 21

Not a serious threat to stability as student opposition didn’t last long and had a lack of support

Question 22

What caused the emergence of the Red Army Faction?

Answer 22

In 1968, the government introduced the controversial emergency law which allowed greater powers of arrest and surveillance. = helped police to control and reduce the amount of student protests that were taking place in the late 1960s. Restricts led to a growing violent, anti-government terrorist movement who believed violence was the only mans of making a change. = creation of the Red Army Faction/Baader-Meinhof Gang

Question 23

What was the membership of the RAF?

Answer 23

-radical left wing groups
-young, middle class, educated west Germans who were disillusioned with the FRG’s political system

Question 24

What were the main ideas/reasons for protest of the Red Army Faction?

Answer 24

-believed that intellectual argument was useless against the forces of th establishment and direct action was necessary
-wanted to achieve destruction of consumerism, an end to Vietnam war and the death of the FRG itself (never explained what the would replace it with)

Question 25

Wha were the actions of the Red Army Faction?

Answer 25

-used sabotage and arson : Baader initially arrested after fire-bombing a department store in Frankfurt in April 1968
-directed violence against people rather than property using bombings and assassination to achieve their goals
-used opinions polls (15% had sympathy with their goals)

Question 26

What was the German Autumn 1977

Answer 26

Used to describe the RAF activities of the 1970s

Question 27

Summary of the ‘German Autumn’

Answer 27

-killed more than 28 people
-robbed over 30 banks To finance activities
-man leaders arrested but Meinhof an Baader were able to radicalise fellow prison inmates and capture of principals appeared to have little affect on the RAF
-RAF brutality scared people

Question 28

What were the 2 key successes of the FRG?

Answer 28

-germany turned to democracy, stable economy
-industry same level as 1933

Question 29

What was happening around the world in the late 1960s?

Answer 29

-Berlin wall
-Cuban missile crisis
-Vietnam war

Question 30

In what year were the Baader-Meinhof leaders arrested?

Answer 30

1972

Question 31

What happened in Stockholm in 1975?

Answer 31

Violent explosion known as the occupation of embassy. Terrorist attack where 4 people were killed and wanted to release leaders from prison

Question 32

How did Karl Heinz Dellwo first get involved in opposition to the government?

Answer 32

He was sent to prison for a year

Question 33

What were Dellwo’s key political ideas?

Answer 33

Anti-capitalist
Marxist inspired

Question 34

Why was the introduction of emergency laws so controversial?

Answer 34

It was a move closer towards authoritarian style government
West german politicians supported due to feeling the FRG was being threatened with anarchy and political extremism as a result of student protests

Question 35

What did the main and most controversial section stated in Article 10?

Answer 35

-main and phone calls could be intercepted
-freedom of movement could be restricted
-certain jobs could be barred

Question 36

Consequences of the introduction of the emergency laws of 1968

Answer 36

-citizens remembered how easy it had been to impose a dictatorship
-lack of provision for emergency measures in Basic Law = Allied powers had to take responsibility in the event of an emergency = development of political protest in 1960s + fear of escalation in the Cold War
-remained in force throughout whole of FRG, avoided politicians taking advantage of it

Question 37

Other government responses to extremism

Answer 37

-german communist party banned in 1956 (some members were allowed to reform and create the DKP in 1968
-surveillance increased by 1977 over 6,000 individuals were under police surveillance and nearly 5 million listed as sympathisers

Question 38

Who were the NPD?

Answer 38

Right wing extremist parties opposing the FRG

Question 39

What evidence is there that the NPD was successful?

Answer 39

-winning local government seats
-1966 and 1967 = NPD won 15 seats (fuelled by discontent of lagging economy)
-1969 = received 4.3% of vote

Question 40

What were the reasons for their success?

Answer 40

A reaction to the student’s movement (June 1967-8) critical of Nazi past

Question 41

What evidence is there that the NPD was not a significant threat to the stability of the FRG?

Answer 41

Coalition fell apart around 75% of those who had voted for the NPD drifted back to the centre right

Question 42

What were the reasons for the NPD decline?

Answer 42

An internal split over failing to get into the German parliament as well as the recovery for the FRG stability

Question 43

How much of a threat was the NPD to the FRG?

Answer 43

A partial threat as although it won support gaining 4.3% of the vote in 1969, it didnt last long as the coalition fell apart

Question 44

What was the process of de-nazification?

Answer 44

-250,000 Germans arrested in allied zones in 1946
-western zones = set out to re-educate german youth by banning nazi textbooks and introducing vetting process for teachers and librarians
-25% of Germans believed de-nazification was necessary

Question 45

Summarise the nature of support for democracy in the FRG 1949-89?

Answer 45

-even at its peak, communists never had more than 50,000 members
-Adenauer was personally very popular and was voted the greatest German in 2002
-German voting for the CDU in 1957 winning them a majority for government . These were conservative, Christian parties, many young working class Germans voted for them

Question 46

Why were people ‘nervous’ for reintroduction of democracy in the FRG?

Answer 46

Old political parties from weimar were re-established during 1950s and 1960s = west german politics dominated by the CDU = overwhelming support for democratic regime

Question 47

How did people show support for democracy?

Answer 47

Participation in voting, lack of support for extremist parties, new political movements

Question 48

How can you support democracy but not the government?

Answer 48

Support democracy but not the party in charge

Question 49

Measures that allowed the FRG to win over public support

Answer 49

Spoke to conservative Roman Catholics
Support emphasis on western alliance , individual freedoms, rising living standards