How the FRG Responded to Political Extremism

In the 1970s, considerable levels of political unrest became terrorism. Left-wing opponents, such as members of the Baader-Meinhof gang, were cracked down upon more considerably; though this reflected the fact that most terrorists of the time were left wing.
It seemed apparent that matters were not dealt with sufficiently; as a 1970 poll found that 20% of Germans sympathised with the Baader-Meinhof gang, whilst 5% would allow a member to stay in their home overnight when on the run.
The Baader-Meinhof gang began as a radical student movement, thus largely consisting of middle-class youths, though developed into a campaign against the new government - perceived as a west German capitalist movement that resembled the Third Reich to too high an extent. They began to lose power after the 1989 collapse of the Berlin Wall, and completely dissolved in 1998.

BfV - Established in 1950; worked within Germany and reported matters directly to the minister of the interior.
BND - Established in…

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