Aspects of Life in Germany and West Germany FRG

Question 1

Give 1 stat showing surplus women in FRG:

Answer 1

• 1948 –> 7.3 mil more women than men

Question 2

For many people and political groups, what was the image of an ideal woman and what policies support this?

Answer 2

• Wife and mother
• Tax breaks and benefits to encourage mothers to stay at home at least for first 3 years of child’s life

Question 3

What article of Basic Law stated there should be equality for all citizens?

Answer 3

Article 3

Question 4

When was the Civil Code revised to give women legal freedom and what was it like for them before this?

Answer 4

• 1958
• Husband’s permission needed to work
• Husband got full control of woman’s property

Question 5

Give one stat showing the lack of female involvement in politics:

Answer 5

1972 –> women comprised only 5.8% of Bundestag despite forming majority of electorate

Question 6

What law made in what year gave women equal rights in marriage and what else did it overturn?

Answer 6

• Marriage and Family Law
• 1977
• The fact that women could only work if it didn’t interfere w/ role as wife/mother

Question 7

What was it that caused an increase in the number of women working between 1950 and 1970?

Answer 7

Shortage of labour during economic miracle

Question 8

When were equality officers appointed and what was their role?

Answer 8

• 1980
• To address issues of unequal treatment for women

Question 9

What does 1982 survey show about pop’s view on women working?

Answer 9

70% of men and women thought men should work and women should care for the home

Question 10

How were greater freedoms granted in divorce?

Answer 10

1977 –> No guilt divorce law passed granting divorces for marriages that had broken down

Question 11

What did the feminist movement fight for and how?

Answer 11

• Full equality
• Published radical magazines like Emma

Question 12

Give one example of a feminist action group:

Answer 12

Jan 1968 –> Action Council for Women’s Liberation (West Berlin)

Question 13

What did the most radical groups protest against?

Answer 13

Para 218 (crime to seek abortion unless for strong medical reason)

Question 14

When was a law allowing abortion in first 12 weeks of pregnancy allowed?

Answer 14

1976 –> Indication Law

Question 15

What were the 3 key problems with education?

Answer 15

• Education system was geared towards Nazis eg resources
• Huge majority of teachers are Nazis
• Previously centralised by Nazis

Question 16

Give 2 areas that the 1955 Düsseldorf Agreement regulated:

Answer 16

• Length of school holidays
• Examination standards

Question 17

Despite the reform, what issue was there on the standardisation of education?

Answer 17

Federal govs often varied on their approach

Question 18

How did the gov overcome the Nazi-focused education system?

Answer 18

• Rehabilitating programmes for teachers to re-educate about aims of education
• Textbooks hurriedly rewritten
• Teachers sent from countries of Allied zones
• Training courses for teachers

Question 19

What kind of secondary school structure did the gov settle on and how did this vary from the Nazis?

Answer 19

• Tripartite structure
• Based significantly upon previous selective system

Question 20

In 1960s what 3 issues were raised about the quality of education in FRG?

Answer 20

• Few Germans went onto uni study
• Selection system should be fairer, not just for wealthy
• Concerns about gender inequalities as more girls left schooling at young age compared to boys

Question 21

How did Brandt make an attempt at reform and how was this still ineffective?

Answer 21

• Established Federal Ministry of Education and Science to oversee education
• Reforms were limited due to respective power of other federal govs

Question 22

Give 2 examples of higher education reform:

Answer 22

• In 1960s and 70s –> 24 new unis emerged
• 1971 –> Federal govs began providing financial aid to students to make HE more accessible

Question 23

Nevertheless, how was higher education reform flawed?

Answer 23

The selective structure still remained which meant unis were still elitist at the top

Question 24

What aspects of culture were easy to de-Nazify and regenerate?

Answer 24

• Removing Nazi controls
• Re-establishing a free press

Question 25

What aspects of culture were harder to de-Nazify and regenerate?

Answer 25

Harder to retain culture, as it was easier to adopt the culture of Allied zones eg Hollywood movies

Question 26

How were aspects of traditional German culture tainted?

Answer 26

Increasing US influence due to occupation of Allies eg adoption of blue jeans

Question 27

What umbrella youth organisation was created and what was its aim?

Answer 27

- German Youth Ring - Workshops to train leaders, offer expertise in activities like singing

Question 28

Give one example of a popular social movement and 2 of its features:

Answer 28

- Anti nuclear movement Features: - Rejected consumerism - Desired more peaceful, equal society

Question 29

Give an example of 2 different movies showing the cultural divide in film:

Answer 29

- Until 1960s --> One of most popular films was Heimatfilm w/ escapist, romantic plot - During 1960s --> Der junge Törless examined German persecution of Jews

Question 30

What movement was created in cinema in FRG and give 2 of its features:

Answer 30

- New Cinema movement - Reflected new rather than old cinematic ideas - Pursued artistic excellence over commercial success

Question 31

Give one example of literature showing reality of post-war Germany:

Answer 31

- The Tin Drum by Günter Grass --> novel on Nazi and immediate post-war period

Question 32

Give one example of a difference in the viewpoints of youngsters and older gen:

Answer 32

Older gen: - Wanted traditional German culture - Wanted comfortable consumerist lifestyle Younger gen: - Less consumerist lifestyle - Culture that faced both present + Nazi past (rejected Year Zero)

Question 33

What were the successes of football in FRG?

Answer 33

Won World Cup in 1954 and 1974

Question 34

On 1 Apr 1947, how many refugees and expellees were there?

Answer 34

10 mil

Question 35

Why was there a need for workers?

Answer 35

Economic boom of 1950s

Question 36

Why were unions worried about recruiting foreign workers?

Answer 36

Employers will be less willing to improve working conditions or wages, as they know there foreign workers will always be willing to accept these conditions

Question 37

In order to prevent the issue of existing workers being undercut, what solutions were put in place?

Answer 37

Gov guaranteed non-German workers same wages and preference to German workers when hiring

Question 38

What office was set up in Nuremburg and what was its purpose? with whom FRG had labour recruitment treaties with?

Answer 38

- Federal Office for Labour Recruitment - Run offices in countries FRG had labour recruitment treaties with

Question 39

Give 3 countries that West Germany formed labour recruitment treaties with:

Answer 39

- Italy - Yugoslavia - Turkey

Question 40

Procedure of guest worker recruitment:

Answer 40

- Had to pass physical exam for fitness to work - Signed a 1 yr renewable contract - Basic accommodation provided, often outside towns in order to cut them off from community

Question 41

What kind of jobs did foreign workers take and give one stat to show this:

Answer 41

- Took jobs Germans were happy to leave such as those w/ low wages + no accommodation - Between 1961 and 1971 --> 870,000 Germans left mining jobs later taken up by 1.1 mil guest workers

Question 42

In what 3 ways were guest workers not treated as Germans, especially in the recession of 1966-67?

Answer 42

- Did not have rights of German citizens - Unions less helpful about long-term assimilation - In the recession, many landlords refused to take guest workers as tenants

Question 43

By 1964, how much money had been allocated to extending family accommodation for guest workers?

Answer 43

DM500 million

Question 44

What organisations, however, did help out guest workers?

Answer 44

- Caritas (Catholic organisation) - Diakonisches Werk (Protestant organisation)

Question 45

What was the impact of oil crisis on guest workers?

Answer 45

- Nov 1973 --> Stopped hiring and banned permits - 1975 --> States began offering financial incentives for workers to return home - Mass layoffs were likely

Question 46

What systems were present that could protect guest workers and what was the limitation of one of these?

Answer 46

- Points system --> Legally, workers had to be laid off according to how vulnerable they were, which could protect guest workers - Many workers did not realise this existed and rather took voluntary severance packages based on time working - 1975 --> Gov gave same benefits to guest workers' children as others

Question 47

When was the ban as a result of the oil crisis removed?

Answer 47

1977

Question 48

What was set up in 1978 as further protection for the workers and what was its purpose?

Answer 48

- Federal Commissioner for Foreign Affairs - Work for rights of foreign workers and promote integration

Question 49

Give one stat to show the rise in guest worker children:

Answer 49

165,000 in 1976 to almost 200,000 in 1983

Question 50

What religion did the majority of guest worker children belong to, what age were most of these children when they began school and what skills did they lack?

Answer 50

- Islam - 6 - No pre-school education + language

Question 51

In what way was education challenging for Muslims and how did they attempt to overcome this?

Answer 51

- Most pre-school education was Christian - Set up their own schools (Koran schools) that attracted a lot of hostility

Question 52

What did guest workers often belong to and how were they both positive and negative?

Answer 52

- Ethnic associations - Positive because they helped newcomers settle in - Negative because they kept themselves separate

Question 53

Why were the crime rates for guest worker children very high?

Answer 53

- Failure in education due to little provision for them (70% failed Abitur) - Unemployed due to little access to further education

Question 54

Give one example of far-right attacks on guest workers:

Answer 54

At least 6 bombings of Jewish memorials and guest worker accommodation

Question 55

Give stats to show living standards throughout FRG:

Answer 55

- Car ownership increased from 2 mil in 1950 to 12 mil in 1965 - Relative cheap cost of living compared to Western neighbours - Most citizens considered themselves middle class