decline of Adenauer

• made political error in 1959 when he ran for presidency however then withdrew; damaging his reputation
• 1961 building of the Berlin wall: Adenauer failed to intervene and ignored the crisis. When he went to Berlin he was greeted with Jeers.
• The Der Spiegel crisis 1962. the magazine published an article criticising the German defence forces. The Defence minister misled the Bundestag which was made worse as the government appeared to try and silence the newspaper. provoking an outcry as it appeared as though the government was acting like a dictatorship.
• The Spiegel agreement resulted in Adenauer's resignation
• Spiegel was a left-wing magazine and criticised the leader of the CSU, he was minister of defence. attacking him for dubious financial dealings. Defence minister, Strauss, believed in 'massive deterrence' and fighting against communism.
• October 1962 Der Spiegel published an article about planned NATO manoeuvres in attack by Warsaw pact. soon all offices of magazine were searched and closed down with many publishers arrested.
• they publishers were charged with treason and showed the censorship and lack of freedom of the press.
• Der Spiegel affair caused 5 FDP members to leave the party
• when Berlin wall was built Adenauer was in the middle of his elections, despite people in Berlin hating it, he continued with his campaigning and visited a week later.
• he caused more division in Germany with the Berlin wall crisis and made people think he was abandoning the West Berlin