Germany and FRG

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Political parties of the FRG

Christian Democratic Union

  • Conservative christians and othe conservative groups
  • committed to promoting capatalism
  • became increasingly centre right, pro-business and pro-capatalism
  • Dominated 1945-63 by Konrad Adenauer

Social Democratic Party (SDP)

  • social reform, creation of fairer society
  • successfully resisted attempts by the KPD to merge
  • very different version of socialism to the SED
  • unable to complete electoral success of CDU: fairly successful at local level 1946-48, party became divided over ideology, SPD changed tactics (social justice and freefom instead of marxism)
  • promoted a state-regualted capatalist deocracy

Political stability due to dominence of CDU

  • CDU won every election: 1949, 53, 57, 61
  • partly due to the political success and wiles of Adenuer
  • Weakness of only real opposition - SDP
  • Basic law benifited large parties (5% hurdle)

Social Change

Affluence

  • Consumer goods and car ownership
  • on the increase

Women

  • Wartime losses of men lead to greater role for women
  • 'Trummerfrall'; rubber women vital to hard work of reconstruction
  • womens efforts were not…

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