FRG - Government Flashcards
(45 cards)
1
Q
Who were the left wing political parties in the newly divided Germany post 1945
A
- Communist party - KDP
- Independent Social Democrats - SPD
- Centre Party
2
Q
Who were the right wing political parties in the newly divided Germany post 1945
A
- Free Democracy Party - FDP
- Christian Democratic Union - CDU
- Christian Social Union of Bavaria
3
Q
Who were the communist party - KDP
A
- not extremist
- not about creating a soviet style
- stressed ‘German socialism’ with land reform, new education system & democratic government
- alternative to capitalism
4
Q
Who were the Independent Social Democrats - SPD
A
- Kurt Schumacher —> had been in concentration camps
- Moral advantage & used it to urge the allies
- socialist & nationalist
5
Q
What percentage did the Independent Social Democrats get in the 1949 election
A
- 29.3%
6
Q
Who were the Centre Party
A
- unsuccessful in face of church-based groups
7
Q
Who were the Free Democracy Party - FDP
A
- coalition of liberal groups
8
Q
What percentage did the IFree Democracy Party get in the 1949 election
A
- 11.9%
9
Q
Who were the Christian Democratic Union - CDU
A
- Konrad Adenaur
- centre right
- pro-social warfare
10
Q
Who were the Christian Social Union of Bavaria - CSU
A
- sister party of the CDU
11
Q
The first elections to the Bundestag took place in ………….. and it first met in Bonn on ……………..
A
- August 1949
- 7th September 1949
12
Q
Why was there not a majority party in the 1949 August election
A
- Despite the fact that some parties had formed coalitions before the elections, small parties still took up enough of the vote to ensure there was not a majority party
13
Q
When was the first post 1945 election
A
14th August 1949
14
Q
Who was the first FRG chancellor
A
- Konrad Adenauer, leader of the CDU
15
Q
A
16
Q
A
17
Q
The USSR responded by setting up the ….
(GDR) announcing…
A
- German Democratic Republic
- its constitution on 7 October 1949
18
Q
Describe the party composition in the German Democratic Republic
A
- the SED was the majority party, & the most signficant
- this consisted of the KDP & SDP
19
Q
Why did two different governent systems taking place in respective areas not seem temporary
A
- The fact that there were two different governments with two different parties and constitutions it meant that it became impossible to overturn as time passed and the two different systems
20
Q
Feature of the Federal Republic of Germany
Rights
A
- Basic Law emphasised human and civil rights such as freedom of expression, assembly and movement
- These rights were seen as being above the law (le. so they could not be suspended or abolished by the govt)
21
Q
Feature of the Federal Republic of Germany
Head of State
A
- The President was not directly elected but chosen by a representative convention
- This prevented an anti-democratic leader
- The powers of President were limited, largely formal and symbolic
22
Q
Feature of the Federal Republic of Germany
Parliament
A
- The Bundestag approved the chancellor and passed laws
- The Bundesrat helped form the laws and was made up of representatives from the Lander
23
Q
Feature of the Federal Republic of Germany
Government Structure
A
- The Chancellor was appointed by the President, but needed parliamentary approval
- The Chancellor could not be dismissed unless a new Chancellor was voted in, preventing the President from appointing and dismissing a Chancellor at will
- The Chancellor had to have parliamentary support. If not, new elections
24
Q
Feature of the Federal Republic of Germany
Electoral System
A
- ‘Representative’ democracy - popular participation was limited
- Political parties could not be banned unless their aims were un-democratic
- The Bundestag was elected through a combination of proportional
- representation and first past the post
- Parties also had to gain 5% of the vote before they were represented
25
# Feature of the Federal Republic of Germany
Basic Law
* Equal rights to all citizens, Free speech, freedom to form unions of other groups, free assembly, state education for all
* Article 20: FRG is democratic. State authority is derived from the people and shall be exercised by the people through elections
* Article 21: Polifical parties must reform to democratic principles
* Those which undermine democracy shall be abolished
26
# Evidence de-nazification was a success
Ex-Nazis
* The Allies banned all ex-Nazis from all leading positions of power
* By late 1946 nearly 250,000 ex-Nazis were arrested and held in prison
27
# Evidence de-nazification was a success
Trials
* The major focus of denazification was the Nuremberg trials
* This was an international court which presided over war crimes of Nazis
* At the first trial 10 Nazis were sentenced to death and Goering committed suicide the night before
28
# Evidence de-nazification was a success
Memorials
* The Allies forced thousands of Germans to visit opened concentration camps and assist with burials to confront their guilt
29
# Evidence de-nazification was a success
Removal
Symbols of Nazi rule were destroyed such as the Swastika at the Nuremberg stadium.
30
# Evidence de-nazification was a failure
anti-communist sentiments
* Many key Nazis escaped punishment because they were useful in an anti-Communist role.
31
# Evidence de-nazification was a failure
Undercapacity
* The size of the task was too much for the Allies who were understaffed
* They increasingly handed judgements over to local German authorities
32
# Evidence de-nazification was a failure
Black market
* Germans could produce 'character references' in their defence, many of which could be bought on the black market
33
# Evidence de-nazification was a failure
Change in focus
* After 1948, the Allies' interest moved away from de-Nazification and towards the Cold War
* The Allies became more concerned about"containing' Communism by creating a strong government
34
# Evidence de-nazification was a failure
Loopholes
* There were many loop-holes so that even for hard-line Nazis escaped justice
* Most Nazis were given amnesties after 1951
35
# Evidence de-nazification was a failure
Extent of punishment
* Only 1.3% of Germans in the British zone were punished
* In the French zone it was 2.6%
* Americans were more zealous in prosecuting
36
# Evidence de-nazification was a failure
undermining of process
* Too many less important Nazis were caught and punished while the leading Nazis used their connections to escape justice
* This created resentment and undermined the process
* By 1951 the denazification process was called to a halt and the allies did not oppose this move
37
The FRG was created with its centre of government at...
Bonn
38
When the Basic Law was drawn up it was always only supposed to be....
* temporary until Germany was reunited
39
The new state refused to recognise the ............ & insisted it spoke for the whole of Germany
* communist GDR
40
In 1949 the FRG was not fully independent as....
* it was still under the Occupation statute so the USA had the power to veto
41
But the Basic Law was designed to ensure
* the FRG remained democratic and stable
* & that it avoided the weaknesses of the Weimar Republic
* by ensuring that political -extremism could not re-emerge
42
What was Adenhaur's first challenge as Chancellor
* His first challenge was to establish a stable democracy and to gather as much control as possible from the Allied authorities
43
What political problems faced Adenaur's government in 1949
* The FRG was still under the control of the Occupation Statute & did not have sovereignty
* the allies still had to approve many aspects of government
44
What economic problems faced Adenaur's government in 1949
* Despite currency reform,
* the economy still faced difficulties & went into recession in 1940-50
* prices were rising, despite unemployment rising to 13%
45
What were Adenaur's aims
* Economic
* Social
* Western Integration
* The German Question
