Occupied Germany
the west, 1945-1948 		Recent History
the Economic Miracle






The Federal Republic 1949-1969 : Political History



In the west the currency reform had put a sudden end to the black market. Everybody had been given a STARTING MONEY of DM 40,-; assets in the Reichsmark were exchanged at a rate of 1.000,- RM = 1 DM. While savings were virtually wiped out, jobs now were paid well. Demand for almost everything was high. The jobless rate dropped quickly, and many inhabitants of the Soviet zone crossed into the western zones searching for a better life, the begin of massive inter-German migration.

In 1949, in the three western zones (without Berlin's three western sectors) a CONSTITUTION GIVING ASSEMBLY met, adopting the constitution of the FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY established soon afterward. The new republic consisted of 9 states (Bundesländer). BONN was chosen as seat of administration (Berlin continued to be the nominal capital). From the start, the Federal Republic was regarded a provisorium. It claimed to be the only legitimate successor state to the German Empire (it it's borders of 1937) and expected the other states of Germany to join later. Federalism was stressed, as many state authorities were spread over the country, the BUNDESBANK seated in Frankfurt, the CONSTITUTIONAL COURT in Karlsruhe etc.
KONRAD ADENAUER formed a coalition government lead by his Christian Democratic Union (CDU); he would lead it until 1963.

In 1957 the population of the Saarland, in another plebiscite, voted to rejoin the Federal Republic.

In the late 1940es, political sentiment in western Germany tended toward socialism. The AHLEN PROGRAM of the CDU demanded the nationalization of key industries. Yet the quick economic recovery led to a shift in political sentiment.
Government was dominated by the CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS (CDU/CSU) which turned into a conservative-liberal party, and their regular junior partner, the FREE DEMOCRATS (FDP, liberals). They promoted a SOCIAL MARKET ECONOMY, a free market economy with the government establishing the frame in which the economy could operate, and with strong elements of a welfare state.
The FRG became a model democracy. The constitution is highly regarded; since 1949, until today it has been amended only two times (one such amendment resulting from unification in 1989). Amendments require a two-thirds majority, impossible without participation of the opposition. Four political parties - Social Democrats (SPD), Christian Democrats (CDU), Bavarian Christian Socialists (CSU) and Liberals (FDP) dominated the political landscape; the communist KPD was outlawed in 1957 (because of its radical positions, hostile to the state); reestablished as DKP, it always remained under 1 % of the votes.
The GRUNDGESETZ (the FRG basic law, a provisorium replacing a constitution West German politicians did not want to draft without the participation of their compatriots from the east) emphasises the balance of powers and the rights of the states.

In the 1960es a new generation had grown up, in an affluent society, knowing about the war only from textbooks and their parents' tales. Many were dissatisfied in a political environment where the same two parties had governed for 20 years; so far, the SPD had formed governments only on state basis. In 1966 CDU and SPD formed a GRAND COALITION GOVERNMENT, robbing many of the illusion of political change. The result was twofold - an increase in (protest-) votes for the ultraright nationalist NPD, and the formation of the APO (Ausserparlamentarische Opposition, outside-of-parliament opposition). The latter claimed to speak for a rising number of demonstrating students and others, many of them sympathising with socialist ideas, although not with Soviet-style socialism.
In 1968, such demonstrations were directed against the state visit of Shah Reza Pahlevi of Iran, against US intervention in Vietnam etc. The German establishment reacted with consternation, having difficulties to understand the young. The demonstrators accused the older generation of having either participated in Nazi crimes or having done nothing to stop them; the older generation had lost much of parental authority.




EXTERNAL
FILES 		Biography of Konrad Adenauer, from CNN.com
50 Jahre Deutschland, from Bild Online, in German, several files for every year
West Germany : The Party System in 1950-1956 and 1957-1962, in : Kenneth Janda, Political Parties : A Cross-National Survey
DOCUMENTS From Ron Wise's World Paper Money : Trizone, 1 Mark banknote 1948; FRG 5 Mark banknote, 1960
REFERENCE Chapters 2 : The Old Man on the Rhine, pp.12-25; 3 : Pressures in the Federal Republic, pp.26-40, in : John Gunther, Inside Europe Today, NY : Harper & Bros. 1961 [G]
Article Germany, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1950 pp. 318-323, 1951 pp.322-326, 1952 pp.314-317, 1953 pp.311-315, 1954 pp.310-314, 1955 pp.359-362, 1956 pp.298-301, 1957 pp.359-361, 1958 pp.294-297, 1959 pp.295-298, 1960 pp.292-296, 1961 pp.299-303, 1962 pp.291-295, 1963 pp.405-410, 1964 pp.390-395, 1965 pp.386-390, 1966 pp.342-348, 1967 pp.371-374, 1968 pp.373-377, 1969 pp.368-372 [G]
Article : Germany, in : Americana Annual 1957 pp.318-324, 1961 pp.302-308, 1962 pp.304-310, 1963 pp.278-285, 1964 pp.275-282, 1965 pp.296-300, 1967 pp.307-312, 1968 pp.299-304, 1969 pp.315-320, 1970 pp.317-322 [G]
Article : Germany, in : Funk & Wagnall's New Standard Encyclopedia Year Book 1952 pp.180-182, 1961 pp.134-138 [G]


This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2000, last revised on September 28th 2007

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