FRG

• demilitarisation helped them feel safe being in German zones
• the nazi party was immediately disbanded but they couldn't agree on what should replace the Nazi system
• reunification saw the election of Adenauer
• US imposed their political ideas on Germany for fear of return of Nazism or appeal of communism
• they brought major war criminals to trial which lasted from November 1945 to October 1946
• denazification turned into a policy to cleanse individuals of the taint of Nazism
• tried to remove Nazi influence in education, culture and politics
• the allies cooperated through allied control council but it only lasted until summer 1945
• GB and US were happy to cooperate but France and USSR were independent
• France didn't get much of Germany as they had been took over by Germany so had to rebuild themselves so couldn't help rebuild a denazified Germany as much as other countries
• in 1949 NATO was formed by signing the North Atlantic Treaty.
• NATO was formed to provide collective security against the Soviet Union and secure peace in Europe
• a dozen European and north American countries signed the north Atlantic treaty
• NATO replaced the League of Nations but the US was involved
• after the Berlin blockade NATO was formed
• they made it a democracy
• got a new government with support and no Nazis
• got rid of Article 48
• built up political parties
• there was elections every 4 years
• the government had a president which was elected every 7 years and didn't have a political party
• set up local governments using the same districts
• no proportional representation was used
• a chancellor was elected every 4 years which represented the biggest political party
• political system

  A) voters

  B) Federal Diet (bundestag)

  C) Federal Council (Bundestrat)

  D) Federal Supreme Court

  E) State Diet (Landtag)

  F) state Supreme Court

  G) minister president

  H) state government

  I) federal government

  J) electoral college

  K) chancellor cabinet

  L) president

  
• the president wasn't directly elected by all the people but a representative convention
• the powers of the president were far more limited than they had been in the Weimar
• In May 1949, a new constitution, the Basic Law, was adopted, and in August 1949, Konrad Adenauer, leade of the Christian Democrats, was elected chancellor.
• Main features of the Basic Law

  • Freedom of expression, assembly, association and movement were guaranteed
  • It established a representative democracy, whereby popular participation is limited to voting every few years and the public merely selects who will rule for them. This kept power in the hands of the elite to prevent the emergence of another Hitler
  • Federal state: individual states kept much power over regional issues, and at a national level they wer represented in the upper chamber (Bundesrat)
  • The lower chamber (Bundestag) was elected by a complex system which combined proportional representation with first past the post. It was later added that parties had to gain 5% of the vote before they were represented. This was done to prevent the emergence of small, extremist parties
  • The law was to be temporary until Germany was united. It committed Germany to work for unity and all Germans living in former German lands were allowed citizenship. All those who left the DDR wer able to settle and work in the West
  • All parties had to uphold democracy. Extremist parties that were not committed to parliamentary democracy were banned. This prevented anti-democratic parties from gaining a majority
  • The president was not directly elected, but was chosen by a representative convention. This prevented an anti-democratic leader. The powers of the president were limited, largely formal and symbolic, and prevented rule by decree
  • The chancellor was appointed by the president, but needed parliamentary approval. The chancellor could not be dismissed unless a new chancellor was voted in, which prevented the president from appointing and dismissing a chancellor at will. The proposed chancellor had to have parliamentary support; otherwise, new elections had to be called
• At first, there were many small parties in West Germany, but gradually the numbers declined. This was because:

  • The constitution banned far-right and far-left parties.

  • From 1953, the 5% hurdle at federal level prevented smaller parties from gaining representation in the Bundestag. In 1957, the number of constituencies that had to be won was raised from one to three.

  • Small parties were divided.

  • Many right-wing groups joined the CDU 

  • There were social changes 
• Christian democrats 


  conservatives
• social Democratic Party 


  democratic-socialist
• free Democratic Party 


  union of liberal parties
• German party (DP)


  right-wing
• league of refugees and expellees

  revisionists, nationalists, special-interest
• communist KPD 


  banned in 1956
• socialist reich party 


  pro-nazi, banned in 1952
• In 1945, the Allies allowed the formation of political parties, and four major parties and some smaller ones emerged. By 1949, politics was dominated by two main parties: the CDU and the SPD. However, the FDP often held the balance of power, even though it was a small party.
• The SPD and KPD were established quickly. The Christian and Conservative Parties joined to form the CDU (Christian Democratic Union), although in Bavaria it was the Christian Social Union (CSU). The liberal parties formed the Free Democratic Party (FDP), which had liberal principles and business interests, but also some right-wing views.
• The Christian Democrats:

  • supported capitalism and competition, but also wanted to protect the vulnerable

  • supported the welfare state

  • followed the Ahlen Programme, which outlined beliefs in traditional Christian values, a social conscience and the free market (in 1957, this was replaced with centre-conservative policies).