This document provides a concise summary of key facts regarding politics in the FRG. It discusses the work of Konrad Adenauer and the effects of his policies. The continuity during Erhard's rule and the policies of Brandt, Schmidt and Kohl are also discussed.
Creation of the Federal Republic of Germany, 1945-49
A permanent division
- Relations between the USSR and the West rapidly developed into the Cold War
- The West, at the urging of the USA, then set up the Marshall Plan to give economic help to
European countries that might otherwise take Soviet help and become communist
- The tension showed itself most in Germany, for it had obvious points of con ict
- The formation of political parties soon followed a di erent pattern in East and West Germany
The Federal Republic of Germany
- The constitution of the FRG outlined a very free and liberal democracy, while allowing for the
fact that it was a constitution that would be rewritten when Germany reunited
- The Weimar government had to work against pressure from the army, trade unions and the
monarchists of the aristocracy
- These groups no longer had signi cant power bases from which to oppose a government
- The Basic Law promised equal rights to German citizens regardless of sex, race, political views
or religion; free speech, the freedom to form unions or other groups, free assembly and no
censorship; a state education for all, although private schooling was allowed
- However, it also had clauses that suggested it could be used to be more repressive
- It was possible to ban political parties if they seemed to undermine the FRG or its democratic
principles — anxiety about extreme political groups was still apparent
Consolidation under Adenauer and Erhard, 1949-65
How far did Adenauer create a stable political base?
- Adenauer’s critics, namely the SPD and FDP, objected to his authoritarian style and forceful
management of the Bundestag (Chancellor democracy)
- Until 1955, he controlled foreign and domestic policy as chancellor and foreign minister
- The bene t of his forceful personality was that he kept FRG coalitions working together until
1957, when the CDU/CSU won a majority for the rst time — they remained the majority party
in the Bundestag and the chancellor was always from this party until 1969
- In September 1949, Adenauer set out his policy agenda in the Bundestag, concentrating on the
domestic economy and foreign policy
- The goals he set included uniting Germany and working towards closer European integration
- This contradicted itself as many deemed that closer ties with the West would hold back
German uni cation
- Adenauer worked to exclude political, especially left-wing, opposition, in a way that reminded
some of Nazi policy
- In 1953, changes to vote allocations and seats in the Bundestag made it harder for small
parties to gain a seat
- In 1952, the extreme right-wing Socialist Reich Party was banned, while in 1956 the KPD was
declared unconstitutional in their attitude to democratic government and so was banned
- In 1957, seat allocation changed to limit small parties even more
- The moves were stabilising but resulted in a Bundestag that was a three-party house, with
shifting coalitions that all supported the status quo
Restoring the civil service and government
- Many Germans, especially younger ones, felt that Adenauer allowed too many ex-Nazis into the
government
- Part of the problem was that in 1939 all government workers had to join the Nazi Party or lose
their job
- Adenauer and others argued that letting ex-Nazis work within the democratic system was the
quickest way to move on and the only way to rapidly establish an e ective civil service
- 1951 Article 131 was added to the Basic Law, o cially allowing ex-Nazis to work in the civil
service
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