adenauer

• the main argument is that Adenauer was important to the success of democracy in West Germany after 1945 and, despite his authoritarian style, he left behind a well-functioning democracy 
• Adenauer enabled former Nazis to reconcile themselves with democracy
• he strengthened links between West Germany and the western allies which was a 'great achievement', especially in the face of 'fierce opposition'.
• Adenauer was nearly 'invincible' in 1957 and the public responded favourably to the slogan 'No experiments' which summed up his pragmatic, conservative approach 

• Adenauer certainly accepted the need for former Nazis to serve in the new democratic administration. Even his chief aide – Gloske – was a well-known Nazi. This can be said to have enabled the smoother operation of democratic government after 1949
• ->Adenauer enabled former Nazis to reconcile themselves with democracy 
• ->1951: ‘131 Law’ -allowed 150,000 former Nazis to be reintegrated into the workforce as civil servants —>Allowed smoother functions of democracy
• ->Adenauer determined to compensate the surviving victims of the Nazi terror 
• Adenauer faced significant opposition to his policy of closer ties with the western allies at the expense of the goal of German reunification. He overcame these obstacles to ensure that the FRG became a member of the ECSC, NATO and the EEC, which brought greater security and economic prosperity to Germany thus strengthening the new democracy
• ->Adenauer was important to the success of democracy in FRG, despite his authoritarian style

->His personal beliefs -Anti Communism

->Willing to sacrifice reunification with East

->‘Magnet theory ‘-Adenauer determined to provide political stability even at the cost of cementing German division; he aimed to do the next best thing to German reunification; to build a stable, prosperous state that that would undermine the GDR by acting as a magnet of freedom and prosperity for East Germans 

->Bonn Constitution 

• ->Economic success was a key factor in moving formerly undemocratic Germans to support Bonn democracy, contrary to the way in which economic weakness had led many to drift away from Weimar democracy 
• the 1957 election victory was a personal triumph for Adenauer with the CDU/CSU winning 50.2% of votes. His ‘No experiments’ slogan captured the moderate conservatism of voters who had confidence in his leadership to consolidate the new democracy 
• ->Adenauer favoured by the public due to the 1957 campaign slogan ‘No Experiments’;
• Peace, negotiations, stability 
• FRG joined NATO In 1955 
• CDU won 50.2% of the votes
  

• to challenge the interpretation, it could be argued that Adenauer did not demonstrate good democratic credentials in his handling of the Der Spiegel Affair and the Schwabing Riots in 1962. He appeared to condone heavy-handed police tactics reminiscent of more authoritarian government, as did his constant denigration of the SPD as communists 
• ->The 1962 Spiegel Affair showed for the first time since WWII that the police were harshly involved with critical press and it reminded many that Adenauer’s government had some reminiscence with the Nazis in controlling the West German state
• in a further challenge to the interpretation, it could be argued that German democracy was still in its infancy. The continuation of personnel from the Nazi period, the ‘ohne mich’ attitude of apathy towards politics and the intolerance of dissent suggested that the system and the population still had work to do to become a ‘well-functioning democracy’. 
• ->Adenauer rehabilitated and used former Nazis within his administration. Adenauer turned a blind eye to their past in order to draw on the talents of capable administrators and politicians. Former Nazi officials had the experience of government and reduced the risk of an influential group of right-wing opponents to the new system emerging

• ^{the main argument is that Adenauer was fortunate that the democratic constitution of West Germany had already been established as an effective political system before he came to power in 1949} 
• ^{the position of chancellor was much stronger than it had been in the Weimar Republic and it was difficult to remove a chancellor once he had been appointed} 
• ^{the electoral system was effective at excluding minority parties and ensuring that proportional representation did not split the vote too many ways} 
• ^{the ability of the government to ban anti-democratic parties strengthened the democratic system.} 

• it was much harder to remove a chancellor in the FRG than in the Weimar Republic. It required a constructive vote of no confidence, which was only done once in the whole period 1949–91. This worked in Adenauer’s favour as he developed his ‘Chancellor Democracy’ 
• ->The opposition of the chancellor was more stable after 1949 than it had been during the Weimar years. The chancellor could only be removed by a vote of no confidence in the Bundestag 
• the system combining proportional representation with constituency-based seats, and the ‘5 per cent rule’, worked effectively to reduce the number of parties in the Bundestag, therefore making the formation of stable coalitions easier 
• ->The political fragmentation created in 1949 did not occur. This contrasts significantly with the early years of Weimar. The safeguards built into the constitution, particularly the five per cent rule, contributed to the political stability of the FRG.
• in 1952 the extreme right-wing Socialist Reich Party was banned, and in 1956 the KPD was also banned. In this way, anti-democratic forces found it difficult to gain a foothold in German politics
• ->Extremist parties from gaining a foothold in the Bundestag and anti-democratic parties could be banned, as happened to the right-wing SRP in 1952 and the KPD in 1956.

• to challenge the interpretation, it could be argued that despite the strengthening of the position of chancellor, Adenauer still had to perform well in elections and show skill in negotiating coalitions without which he would not have been able to govern effectively 
• ->Economic success was a key factor in moving formerly undemocratic Germans to support Bonn democracy, contrary to the way in which economic weakness had led many to drift away from Weimar democracy 
• to further challenge the interpretation, it could be argued that the creation of a democratic constitution by the Parliamentary Council in 1949 was merely the beginning and there was no guarantee that a democratic system was going to take hold in West Germany. 
• ->When the economy hit a downturn in the mid-1960s there was a growth in support for the newly formed right-wing NDP 

• the main argument is that the new democratic system benefited from the economic growth of West Germany in this period and that many Germans simply accepted a system that seemed to be working
  
• the economic recovery of western Germany began before 1948 and continued due to the Marshall Plan and American backing leading to the ‘economic miracle’ of the 1950s 
• rapid improvements in living conditions and prosperity meant many Germans were content with a regime that was ‘delivering the goods’ 
• people were often passive in their acceptance of the new democratic system.
  
  

• prior to 1949, the Allies had reformed the currency, had restored the free market and had ended food rationing. In conjunction with the fiscal stimulus of the Marshall Plan, this meant that the West German economy was already well on the road to recovery by 1950
• due to the booming economy in the 1950s, the government was able to invest heavily in improvements to living conditions, such as the construction of 4m new dwellings by 1957 and the introduction of new ‘dynamic pensions’ in the same year. Many Germans were happy to support a system that delivered such progress in the standard of living 
• ->The Basic Law of 1949 created a constitution that enshrined civil rights, which were to be guarded by a Federal Constitutional Court. As a result, Germans enjoyed the freedom of speech, assembly and movement throughout this period 
• ->The spectacular economic growth of the 1950s and early 1960s could be said to have been far more important to the stability of the new democracy rather than any genuine attachment to the political system for the majority of West German's
• non-involvement in politics – ‘ohne mich’ – was a feature of German society and politics commented on at the time. The ability of Adenauer to consolidate his political dominance through slogans such as ‘No experiments’ certainly points to a degree of passive assent to the system which appeared to be delivering economic prosperity

• to challenge the interpretation, it could be argued that Adenauer and Erhard deserve their share of the credit for the ‘economic miracle’ of the 1950s and for the subsequent level of support for the new democratic system.
• ->Adenauer set the FRG on a course of economic recovery throughout a social market economy ably managed by Erhard 

->‘Magnet theory ‘-Adenauer determined to provide political stability even at the cost of cementing German division; he aimed to do the next best thing to German reunification; to build a stable, prosperous state that that would undermine the GDR by acting as a magnet of freedom and prosperity for East Germans 

->Bonn Constitution 

• ->Economic success was a key factor in moving formerly undemocratic Germans to support Bonn democracy, contrary to the way in which economic weakness had led many to drift away from Weimar democracy 
• the 1957 election victory was a personal triumph for Adenauer with the CDU/CSU winning 50.2% of votes. His ‘No experiments’ slogan captured the moderate conservatism of voters who had confidence in his leadership to consolidate the new democracy 
• ->Adenauer favoured by the public due to the 1957 campaign slogan ‘No Experiments’;
• Peace, negotiations, stability 
• FRG joined NATO In 1955 
• CDU won 50.2% of the votes