Initially, West Germany claimed an exclusive mandate for all of Germany, identifying as the sole democratically reorganised continuation of the 1871–1945 German Reich.
The Germany national football team, established in 1900, continued its tradition based in the Federal Republic of Germany, winning the 1954 FIFA World Cup in a stunning upset dubbed the miracle of Bern.
Old and new forms coexisted next to each other, and the American influence, already strong in the 1920s, grew. ===Sport=== In the 20th century, association football became the largest sport in Germany.
Apart from the discretionary service of disease prevention which had existed since 1923, insured persons now had a right in certain circumstances to medical examinations aimed at the early diagnosis of disease.
European championships have been won too, in 1972, 1980 and 1996. After both Olympic Games of 1936 had been held in Germany, Munich was selected to host the 1972 Summer Olympics.
They agreed that the boundaries of Germany as at 31 December 1937 would be chosen as demarcating German national territory from German-occupied territory; all German annexations after 1937 were automatically null.
Subsequently, and into the 1970s, the West German state was to maintain that these 1937 boundaries continued to be 'valid in international law'; although the Allies had already agreed amongst themselves that East Prussia and Silesia must be transferred to Poland and the Soviet Union in any Peace agreement.
Westdeutschland was also a widespread colloquial form used in German-speaking countries, usually without political overtones. ==History== On 4–11 February 1945 leaders from the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union held the Yalta Conference where future arrangements regarding post-war Europe and Allied strategy against Japan in the Pacific were negotiated.
Former German areas east of the rivers Oder and Neisse and outside of 'Germany as a whole' were separated from German sovereignty in July 1945 and transferred from Soviet military occupation to Polish and Soviet (in the case of the territory of Kaliningrad) civil administration, their Polish and Soviet status to be confirmed at a final Peace Treaty.
Consequently, following the death of Hitler in 1945 and the subsequent capitulation of the German Armed Forces, the national political, judicial, administrative, and constitutional instruments of both Nazi Germany and the Weimar Republic were understood as entirely defunct, such that a new West Germany could be established in a condition of constitutional nullity.
The Two-plus-Four Agreement also saw the two parts of Germany confirm their post-war external boundaries as final and irreversible (including the 1945 transfer of former German lands east of the Oder–Neisse line), and the Allied Powers confirmed their consent to German Reunification.
A History of West Germany Vol 1: From Shadow to Substance, 1945–1963 (1992); ; vol 2: Democracy and Its Discontents 1963–1988 (1992) Berghahn, Volker Rolf.
After Hitler: Recivilizing Germans, 1945–1995 (2008) Junker, Detlef, ed.
The United States and Germany in the Era of the Cold War (2 vol 2004), 150 short essays by scholars covering 1945–1990 MacGregor, Douglas A The Soviet-East German Military Alliance New York, Cambridge University Press, 1989. Main, Steven J.
Hunger, Mass Violence and the Struggle for Peace, 1945–1947." Europe-Asia Studies (2014) 66#8 pp. 1380–1382. Maxwell, John Allen.
"Social Democracy in a Divided Germany: Kurt Schumacher and the German Question, 1945–52." PhD dissertation, West Virginia University, 1969. Merkl, Peter H.
Germany, 1945–1990 (Central European University Press, 2004) online edition Williams, Charles.
Documents on Germany under Occupation, 1945–1954 (Oxford University Press, 1955) online ==External links== Contemporary German history Former polities of the Cold War Anti-communism in Germany Borders of Germany Political history of Germany States and territories established in 1949 States and territories disestablished in 1990 * * * *
Between 1946 and 1949, three of the occupation zones began to merge.
Wolfgang Borchert, a former soldier who died young in 1947, is one of the best known representatives of the Trümmerliteratur.
West Berlin was completely surrounded by East German territory and had suffered a Soviet blockade in 1948–49, which was overcome by the Berlin airlift. The outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 led to U.S.
That same year, the Federal Government granted a sum of 17 million DM to the Länder for the improvement and modernization of housing built before 21 June 1948.
This improvement was sustained by the currency reform of 1948 which replaced the Reichsmark with the Deutsche Mark and halted rampant inflation.
West Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; Bundesrepublik Deutschland, BRD, ), retrospectively designated as the Bonn Republic, is the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 October 1990.
Between 1946 and 1949, three of the occupation zones began to merge.
(France withdrew from the collective military command structure of NATO in 1966.) ===Reforms during the 1960s=== Konrad Adenauer was 73 years old when he became chancellor in 1949, and for this reason he was initially reckoned as a caretaker.
All governments between 1949 and 1966 were formed by the united caucus of the Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU), either alone or in coalition with the smaller Free Democratic Party (FDP) or other right-wing parties. Kiesinger's 1966–69 "Grand Coalition" was between West Germany's two largest parties, the CDU/CSU and the Social Democratic Party (SPD).
Documents on Germany under Occupation, 1945–1954 (Oxford University Press, 1955) online ==External links== Contemporary German history Former polities of the Cold War Anti-communism in Germany Borders of Germany Political history of Germany States and territories established in 1949 States and territories disestablished in 1990 * * * *
While legally not part of West Germany, as Berlin was under the control of the Allied Control Council, West Berlin politically aligned with West Germany and was directly or indirectly represented in its federal institutions. The foundation for the influential position held by Germany today was laid during the economic miracle of the 1950s (Wirtschaftswunder), when West Germany rose from the enormous destruction wrought by World War II to become the world's third-largest economy.
West Berlin was completely surrounded by East German territory and had suffered a Soviet blockade in 1948–49, which was overcome by the Berlin airlift. The outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 led to U.S.
Only after a fierce debate, considered by many as one of the most memorable sessions of parliament, the Bundestag concluded on 20 June 1991, with quite a slim majority, that both government and parliament should move to Berlin from Bonn. ==Economic miracle== The West German Wirtschaftswunder ("economic miracle", coined by The Times) began in 1950.
The Allied dismantling of the West German coal and steel industry finally ended in 1950. As demand for consumer goods increased after World War II, the resulting shortage helped overcome lingering resistance to the purchase of German products.
Apart from these factors, hard work and long hours at full capacity among the population and in the late 1950s and 1960s extra labour supplied by thousands of Gastarbeiter ("guest workers") provided a vital base for the economic upturn.
In 1987 the FRG held a 7.4% share of total world production. ==Demographics== ===Population and vital statistics=== Total population of West Germany from 1950 to 1990, as collected by the Statistisches Bundesamt. ===Religion=== Religious affiliation in West Germany decreased from the 1960s onward.
Since the 1950s, Germany at the Olympics had been represented by a united team led by the pre-war German NOC officials as the IOC had denied East German demands for a separate team. The 800-page "Doping in Germany from 1950 to today" study details how the West German government helped fund a wide-scale doping programme.
On the other hand, the separate East German teams and organisations were founded in the 1950s; they were an episode lasting less than four decades, yet quite successful in that time. West Germany played 43 matches at the European Championships, more than any other national team. ===Literary scene=== Besides the interest in the older generation of writers, new authors emerged on the background of the experiences of war and after war period.
Heinrich Böll is considered an observer of the young Federal Republic from the 1950s to the 1970s, and caused some political controversies because of his increasingly critical view on society.
Neither condition changed until 1998. ===Denazification=== In 1951 several laws were passed, ending the denazification.
It took the line that the German Democratic Republic (GDR), commonly referred to as East Germany, was an illegally constituted puppet state controlled by the Soviet Union. Three southwestern states of West Germany merged to form Baden-Württemberg in 1952, and the Saarland joined West Germany in 1957.
The West German military would be subject to complete EDC control, but the other EDC member states (Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) would cooperate in the EDC while maintaining independent control of their own armed forces. Though the EDC treaty was signed (May 1952), it never entered into force.
The East German economy showed a certain growth, but not as much as in West Germany, partly because of continued reparations to the USSR. In 1952, West Germany became part of the European Coal and Steel Community, which would later evolve into the European Union.
France's Gaullists rejected it on the grounds that it threatened national sovereignty, and when the French National Assembly refused to ratify it (August 1954), the treaty died.
The Germany national football team, established in 1900, continued its tradition based in the Federal Republic of Germany, winning the 1954 FIFA World Cup in a stunning upset dubbed the miracle of Bern.
The former occupying Western troops remained on the ground, now as part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which West Germany joined on 9 May 1955, promising to rearm itself soon. West Germany became a focus of the Cold War with its juxtaposition to East Germany, a member of the subsequently founded Warsaw Pact.
On 5 May 1955 West Germany was declared to have the "authority of a sovereign state".
Four days after obtaining the "authority of a sovereign state" in 1955, West Germany joined NATO.
Documents on Germany under Occupation, 1945–1954 (Oxford University Press, 1955) online ==External links== Contemporary German history Former polities of the Cold War Anti-communism in Germany Borders of Germany Political history of Germany States and territories established in 1949 States and territories disestablished in 1990 * * * *
It took the line that the German Democratic Republic (GDR), commonly referred to as East Germany, was an illegally constituted puppet state controlled by the Soviet Union. Three southwestern states of West Germany merged to form Baden-Württemberg in 1952, and the Saarland joined West Germany in 1957.
In 1957, 77% of the West German Ministry of Justice's senior officials were former Nazi Party members.
West Germany encouraged and covered up a culture of doping across many sports for decades. As in 1957, when the Saarland acceded, East German sport organisations ceased to exist in late 1990 as their subdivisions and their members joined their Western counterparts.
An Act of December 1959 on the peaceful use of nuclear energy and protection against its dangers was amended by an Act of June 1970 that established a tax levied for the costs for permissions and surveillance measures.
(France withdrew from the collective military command structure of NATO in 1966.) ===Reforms during the 1960s=== Konrad Adenauer was 73 years old when he became chancellor in 1949, and for this reason he was initially reckoned as a caretaker.
His successor was to be Ludwig Erhard. In the early 1960s the rate of economic growth slowed down significantly.
Apart from these factors, hard work and long hours at full capacity among the population and in the late 1950s and 1960s extra labour supplied by thousands of Gastarbeiter ("guest workers") provided a vital base for the economic upturn.
In 1987 the FRG held a 7.4% share of total world production. ==Demographics== ===Population and vital statistics=== Total population of West Germany from 1950 to 1990, as collected by the Statistisches Bundesamt. ===Religion=== Religious affiliation in West Germany decreased from the 1960s onward.
As a result, in 1979 the Greens were able to reach the 5% minimum required to obtain parliamentary seats in the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen state election, and with the foundation of the national party in 1980 developed into one of the most politically successful green movements in the world. Another result of the unrest in the 1960s was the founding of the Red Army Faction (RAF).
The grand old man of German postwar politics had to be dragged—almost literally—out of office in 1963. In October 1962 the weekly news magazine Der Spiegel published an analysis of the West German military defence.
In 1962 growth rate was 4.7% and the following year, 2.0%.
The first chancellor Konrad Adenauer, who remained in office until 1963, worked for a full alignment with NATO rather than neutrality, and secured membership in the military alliance.
The grand old man of German postwar politics had to be dragged—almost literally—out of office in 1963. In October 1962 the weekly news magazine Der Spiegel published an analysis of the West German military defence.
He announced that he would step down in the fall of 1963.
One courageous attorney, Fritz Bauer patiently gathered evidence on the guards of the and about twenty were put on trial in Frankfurt in 1963.
A History of West Germany Vol 1: From Shadow to Substance, 1945–1963 (1992); ; vol 2: Democracy and Its Discontents 1963–1988 (1992) Berghahn, Volker Rolf.
Other Eastern Bloc nations soon followed suit. In 1965 the West German Federal Minister of All-German Affairs Erich Mende had issued the "Directives for the Appellation of Germany", recommending avoiding the initialism BRD.
(France withdrew from the collective military command structure of NATO in 1966.) ===Reforms during the 1960s=== Konrad Adenauer was 73 years old when he became chancellor in 1949, and for this reason he was initially reckoned as a caretaker.
Erhard stepped down in 1966 and was succeeded by Kurt Georg Kiesinger.
All governments between 1949 and 1966 were formed by the united caucus of the Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU), either alone or in coalition with the smaller Free Democratic Party (FDP) or other right-wing parties. Kiesinger's 1966–69 "Grand Coalition" was between West Germany's two largest parties, the CDU/CSU and the Social Democratic Party (SPD).
After a brief recovery, the growth rate slowed again into a recession, with no growth in 1967. A new coalition was formed to deal with this problem.
A key event in the development of open democratic debate occurred in 1967, when the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, visited West Berlin.
Demonstrations and protests grew in number, and in 1967 the student Benno Ohnesorg was shot in the head by a policeman.
This changed under its 1968 constitution, when the idea of a single German nation was abandoned by East Germany.
Just before Easter 1968, a young man tried to kill Dutschke as he bicycled to the student union, seriously injuring him.
In May 1968, three young people set fire to two department stores in Frankfurt; they were brought to trial and made very clear to the court that they regarded their action as a legitimate act in what they described as the "struggle against imperialism".
The press, especially the tabloid Bild-Zeitung newspaper, launched a campaign against the protesters. By 1968 a stronger desire to confront the Nazi past had come into being.
The RAF was active from 1968, carrying out a succession of terrorist attacks in West Germany during the 1970s.
Evidence that the groups had been infiltrated by German Intelligence undercover agents has since emerged, partly through the insistence of the son of one of their prominent victims, the State Counsel Buback. ===Willy Brandt=== In the 1969 election, the SPD—headed by Willy Brandt—gained enough votes to form a coalition government with the FDP.
Between 1969 and 1974, the average real standard rate of income support rose (in 1991 prices) from around 300 DM to around 400 DM.
In 2001 prices, the average standard social assistance benefit level rose from around 200 euros per month in 1969 to over 250 euros per month in 1974.
By 1974, three times as much was paid out in rent subsidies as in 1969, and nearly one and a half million households received rental assistance.
A 1969 law on explosive materials was supplemented by two orders; the first (made in November 1969) establishing a committee of experts for explosive materials, while the second order (made the following month) included details for the implementation of the law on explosive materials.
This was characterised by the real incomes of employees increasing more sharply than incomes from entrepreneurial work, with the proportion of employees' incomes in the overall national income rising from 65% to 70% between 1969 and 1973, while the proportion of income from entrepreneurial work and property fell over that same period from just under 35% to 30%.
In addition, the percentage of West Germans living in poverty (based on various definitions) fell between 1969 and 1973.
According to one estimate, the percentage of West Germans living in poverty fell from 9.7% to 8.9% between 1969 and 1973, and from 20.2% to 14.0% according to another estimate.
The last action took place in 1993, and in 1998 the group announced it was ceasing activities. In the 1969 election, the SPD gained enough votes to form a coalition government with the FDP.
"Social Democracy in a Divided Germany: Kurt Schumacher and the German Question, 1945–52." PhD dissertation, West Virginia University, 1969. Merkl, Peter H.
The initialism BRD (FRG in English) began to prevail in East German usage in the early 1970s, beginning in the newspaper Neues Deutschland.
Subsequently, and into the 1970s, the West German state was to maintain that these 1937 boundaries continued to be 'valid in international law'; although the Allies had already agreed amongst themselves that East Prussia and Silesia must be transferred to Poland and the Soviet Union in any Peace agreement.
(Moscow Agreement, August 1970, Warsaw Agreement, December 1970, Four Power Agreement over the status of West Berlin in 1971 and an agreement on relations between West and East Germany, signed in December 1972.) These agreements were the basis for a rapid improvement in the relations between east and west and led, in the long-term to the dismantlement of the Warsaw Treaty and the Soviet Union's control over Eastern Europe.
In the autumn of 1970 Jürgen Wischnewski of the SPD declared, 'Every week more than three plans for reform come up for decision in cabinet and in the Assembly.'" According to Helmut Schmidt, Willy Brandt's domestic reform programme had accomplished more than any previous programme for a comparable period.
In 1970, war pensions were increased by 16%.
Between 1970 and 1972, the "Landabgaberente" (land transfer pension) went up by 55%.
Between 1970 and 1974, unemployment benefits rose from around 300 euros to around 400 euros per month, and unemployment assistance from just under 200 euros per month to just under 400 euros per month.
During most of Brandt's years as chancellor, the majority of benefits increased as a percentage of average net earnings. In 1970, seagoing pilots became retrospectively insurable, and gained full social security as members of the Non-Manual Workers Insurance Institute.
In 1970, the government included nonmedical psychotherapists and psychoanalysts in the national health insurance program. Pupils, students and children in kindergartens were incorporated into the accident insurance scheme, which benefited 11 million children.
A Development Law of December 1970 made it possible for all employees voluntarily to become members of the statutory sickness insurance.
The school leaving age was raised to 16, and spending on research and education was increased by nearly 300% between 1970 and 1974.
In addition, the provision of scholarships was expanded, with the 1970 programme providing for, in the words of one observer, "5,000 new scholarships for graduates, and double that number were being awarded three years later".
Under the Approbationsordnung (medical education profession act) of 1970, the subject of psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy at German universities became a compulsory subject for medical students, and that same year education of clinical and biomedical engineers was introduced.
According to the Rent Subsidies Act (Wohngeldgesetz) of 1970, "low-income tenants and owners of accommodations are supported with rents and burdens subsidies".
Increases were made in public housing subsidies, as characterised by a 36% increase in the social housing budget in 1970 and by the introduction of a programme for the construction of 200,000 public housing units (1971).
From 1970 to 1971, an 18.1% increase in building permits for social housing units was made.
From 1970 onwards, parents as well as landlords were no longer legally prohibited "to give or rent rooms or flats to unmarried couples or to allow them to stay overnight".
In addition, the Federal Cost of Moving Act increased the relocation allowance (with effect from 1 November 1973), with the basic allowances raised by DM 50 and DM 100 respectively, while extra allowances for families were raised to a uniform amount of 125 DM. In 1970, the Armed Forces Vocational Schools and the Vocational Advancement Organization extended their services for the first time to conscripts, "so far as military duty permitted".
An Act of December 1959 on the peaceful use of nuclear energy and protection against its dangers was amended by an Act of June 1970 that established a tax levied for the costs for permissions and surveillance measures.
The Sickness Act of 1970 provided equal treatment of workers and employees in the event of incapacity for work, while maternity leave was increased.
Legislation was introduced in 1970 which ensured continued payment of wages for workers disabled by illness.
In 1970 all employees unit for work (with the exception of women in receipt of maternity benefits and temporarily and inconsiderably employed persons) were provided with an unconditional legal claim against their employer to continued payment of their gross wage for a period of 6 weeks, as also in the case of spa treatment approved by an Insurance Fund, the Fund bearing the full cost thereof.
A directive on protection against noise at the place of work was adopted in November 1970.
A matching fund program for 15 million employees was also introduced, which stimulated them to accumulate capital. A ministerial order of January 1970 extended protection in cases of partial unemployment to home workers, while an ordinance of August 1970 fixed the conditions of health necessary for service in the merchant navy.
A general provision of October 1970 determined in detail the circumstances in which the competent authority must take action on the basis of the act on the technical means of work.
In a directive of 10 November 1970, the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs recommended to the higher authorities for work protection of the "Lander" to bring in the directive published, in agreement with the Ministry of Labour, by the German Engineers' Association on the evaluation of work station noise in relation to loss of hearing, in order to improve safeguards for workers against the noises in question.
Religious affiliation declined faster among Protestants than among Catholics, causing the Roman Catholic Church to overtake the EKD as the largest denomination in the country during the 1970s. ==Position towards East Germany== The official position of West Germany concerning East Germany at the outset was that the West German government was the only democratically elected, and therefore the only legitimate, representative of the German people.
According to the Hallstein Doctrine, any country (with the exception of the USSR) that recognised the authorities of the German Democratic Republic would not have diplomatic relations with West Germany. In the early 1970s, Willy Brandt's policy of "Neue Ostpolitik" led to a form of mutual recognition between East and West Germany.
The Treaty of Moscow (August 1970), the Treaty of Warsaw (December 1970), the Four Power Agreement on Berlin (September 1971), the Transit Agreement (May 1972), and the Basic Treaty (December 1972) helped to normalise relations between East and West Germany and led to both German states joining the United Nations.
In the 1970s environmentalism and anti-nationalism became fundamental values among left-wing Germans.
The RAF was active from 1968, carrying out a succession of terrorist attacks in West Germany during the 1970s.
Schmidt, a strong supporter of the European Community (EC) and the Atlantic alliance, emphasized his commitment to "the political unification of Europe in partnership with the USA". The goals of SPD and FDP however drifted apart in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Heinrich Böll is considered an observer of the young Federal Republic from the 1950s to the 1970s, and caused some political controversies because of his increasingly critical view on society.
(Moscow Agreement, August 1970, Warsaw Agreement, December 1970, Four Power Agreement over the status of West Berlin in 1971 and an agreement on relations between West and East Germany, signed in December 1972.) These agreements were the basis for a rapid improvement in the relations between east and west and led, in the long-term to the dismantlement of the Warsaw Treaty and the Soviet Union's control over Eastern Europe.
Brandt's contributions to world peace led to his nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1971. ==== Chancellor of Domestic Reform ==== Although Brandt is perhaps best known for his achievements in foreign policy, his government oversaw the implementation of a broad range of social reforms, and was known as a "Kanzler der inneren Reformen" ('Chancellor of domestic reform').
War victim's pensions went up by 5.5% in January 1971, and by 6.3% in January 1972.
The Second Modification and Supplementation Law (1970) increased the allowance for the third child from DM 50 to DM 60, raised the income-limit for the second child allowance from DM 7,800 to DM 13,200; subsequently increased to DM 15,000 by the third modification law (December 1971), DM 16,800 by the fourth modification law (November 1973), and to DM 18,360 by the fifth modification law (December 1973).
From 1971, special subventions were provided to enable young farmers to quit farming "and facilitate their entry into the non-agricultural pension system by means of back payments". The Third Modification Law (1974) extended individual entitlements to social assistance by means of higher-income limits compatible with receipt of benefits and lowered age limits for certain special benefits.
In 1971, the retirement age for miners was lowered to 50.
In January 1971, the reduction of sickness allowance in case of hospitalisation was discontinued.
In 1971, to encourage the growth of registered family holiday centres, the Federal Government granted subsidies for the building and appointing of 28 of these centres at a total cost of 8 million DM.
Working through a planning committee set up for the "joint task" of university development, the Federal Government started to make investment costs in 1971.
A law on individual promotion of vocational training came into force in October 1971, which provided for financial grants for attendance at further general or technical teaching establishments from the second year of studies at higher technical schools, academies and higher education establishments, training centres of second degree, or certain courses of television teaching.
From 1970 to 1971, an 18.1% increase in building permits for social housing units was made.
The Second Eviction Protection Law (1972) made the tenant protection introduced under the Eviction Protection Law of 1971 permanent.
In addition, rent increases were only lawful if not above normal comparable rents in the same area. Directives on the housing of foreign workers came into force in April 1971.
In addition, according to a 1971 regulation of the Board of the Federal Labour Office, "construction of workers' hostels qualified for government financial support under certain conditions".
In 1971, the Federal Labour Office made available DM 425 million in the form of loans to provide 157 293 beds in 2 494 hostels.
A 1971 amendment to a federal civil service reform bill enabled fathers to apply for part-time civil service work.
In 1971, corporal punishment was banned in schools, and that same year a new Highway Code was introduced.
In 1971, rules were introduced making it possible for former guestworkers "to receive an unlimited residence permit after a five-year stay". ===== Armed forces ===== A number of reforms were also carried out to the armed forces, as characterised by a reduction in basic military training from 18 to 15 months, a reorganisation of education and training, and personnel and procurement procedures.
The maximum amount for servicemen enlisting for at least 12 years was increased from DM 6,000 to DM 9,000, and from October 1971 onwards, long-term personnel were paid grants towards the cost 'of attending educational institutes of the "second educational route" or participating in state-recognized general education courses provided by private correspondence schools and the "television college"'.
The Law on Compensation for Measures of Criminal Prosecution and Penalties, passed in March 1971, provided for standardized compensation in certain situations.
Taking into account the enormous high peaks of air traffic noise and its concentration at a limited number of airports, the Law for Protection against Aircraft Noise of 1971 sought to balance two conflicting demands, the first being the legitimate demand by industry, business and the public for an efficient air-traffic-system, and secondly, the understandable and by no means less legitimate claims of the affected people for protection and compensation.
In September 1971, an ordinance was published concerning dangerous working materials; safeguarding persons using these materials against the dangers involved.
In August 1971, a law came into force directed at reducing atmospheric pollution from lead compounds in four-stroke engine fuels.
In the field of transport, the Municipal Transportation Finance Law of 1971 established federal guidelines for subsidies to municipal governments, while the Federal Transport Plan of 1973 provided a framework for all transport, including public transport.
In addition, the Severely Handicapped Persons Act of April 1974 extended the welfare and promotional obligations of the employer, and provided a right to extra holiday consisting of six working days. ===== Environmental protection ===== A federal environmental programme was established in 1971, and in 1972 laws were passed to regulate garbage elimination and air pollution via emission.
In 1971, a law was passed setting the maximum lead content at 0.4 grams per liter of gasoline, and in 1972 DDT was banned.
The Treaty of Moscow (August 1970), the Treaty of Warsaw (December 1970), the Four Power Agreement on Berlin (September 1971), the Transit Agreement (May 1972), and the Basic Treaty (December 1972) helped to normalise relations between East and West Germany and led to both German states joining the United Nations.
(Moscow Agreement, August 1970, Warsaw Agreement, December 1970, Four Power Agreement over the status of West Berlin in 1971 and an agreement on relations between West and East Germany, signed in December 1972.) These agreements were the basis for a rapid improvement in the relations between east and west and led, in the long-term to the dismantlement of the Warsaw Treaty and the Soviet Union's control over Eastern Europe.
Between 1972 and 1974, the purchasing power of pensioners went up by 19%.
War victim's pensions went up by 5.5% in January 1971, and by 6.3% in January 1972.
By 1972, war pensions for orphans and parents had gone up by around 40%, and for widows by around 50%.
Between 1970 and 1972, the "Landabgaberente" (land transfer pension) went up by 55%.
An April 1972 law providing for "promotion of social aid services" aimed to remedy, through various beneficial measures (particularly in the field of national insurance and working conditions), the staff-shortage suffered by social establishments in their medico-social, educational and other work.
A bill to harmonize re-education benefit and another bill relating to severely handicapped persons became law in May and September 1972 respectively.
In 1972, winter payments for construction workers were introduced. To assist family planning and marriage and family guidance, the government allocated DM 2 232 000 in 1973 for the payment and for the basic and further training of staff.
From 1972 to 1973, the total amount of individual aids granted by Guarantee Fund for the integration of young immigrants increased from 17 million DM to 26 million DM.
The 1972 pension reforms improved eligibility conditions and benefits for nearly every subgroup of the West German population.
According to one study, the 1972 pension reform "enhanced" the reduction of poverty in old age. Voluntary retirement at 63 with no deductions in the level of benefits was introduced, together with the index-linking of war victim's pensions to wage increases.
In 1972, the government allocated 2.1 million DM in grants to promote marriage and family education.
They set aside 10 million DM for this purpose, which allowed the financing of 1650 family dwellings that year. Development measures were begun in 1972 with federal financial aid granted to the Lander for improvement measures relating to towns and villages, and in the 1972 budget, DM 50 million was earmarked, i.e.
A council for urban development was formed in May 1972 with the purpose of promoting future work and measures in the field of urban renovation.
In 1973, a measure was introduced that facilitated the adoption of young children by reducing the minimum age for adoptive parents from 35 to 25. A women's policy machinery at the national level was established in 1972 while amnesty was guaranteed in minor offences connected with demonstrations.
In October 1972, the legal aid system was improved with the compensation paid to private lawyers for legal services to the poor increased.
The Bausparkassen Act of 1972 placed all Bausparkassen (from January 1974 onwards) under the supervision of the Federal Banking Supervisory Office, and confined Bausparkassen "to the contract saving business and related activities".
The Animal Protection Act, passed in 1972, introduced various safeguards for animals such as not permitting the causing of pain, injury, or suffering to an animal without justification, and limiting experiments to the minimum number of animals necessary.
In 1972, two Bundeswehr universities were established; a reform which, according to one historian, "fought against the closed nature of the military and guaranteed that officers would be better able to successfully interact with the civilian world".
In 1972, an Act on Agency Work was passed which sought to prevent works agencies from providing job placement services and aimed to provide job minimum protection for employees in agency work.
A regulation was issued in 1972 which permitted for the first time the employment of women as drivers of trams, omnibuses and lorries, while further regulations laid down new provisions for lifts and work with compressed air.
In 1972, the rights of works councils to information from management were not only strengthened, but works councils were also provided with full codetermination rights on issues such as working time arrangements in the plant, the setting of piece rates, plant wage systems, the establishment of vacation times, work breaks, overtime, and short-time work.
Legislation was passed which acknowledged for the first time the presence of trade unions in the workplace, expanded the means of action of the works councils, and improved their work basics as well as those of the youth councils. A law of January 1972 on the organization of labour in enterprises significantly extended the works council's right of cooperation and co-management in the matter of vocational training.
In addition, the Severely Handicapped Persons Act of April 1974 extended the welfare and promotional obligations of the employer, and provided a right to extra holiday consisting of six working days. ===== Environmental protection ===== A federal environmental programme was established in 1971, and in 1972 laws were passed to regulate garbage elimination and air pollution via emission.
In 1971, a law was passed setting the maximum lead content at 0.4 grams per liter of gasoline, and in 1972 DDT was banned.
The Treaty of Moscow (August 1970), the Treaty of Warsaw (December 1970), the Four Power Agreement on Berlin (September 1971), the Transit Agreement (May 1972), and the Basic Treaty (December 1972) helped to normalise relations between East and West Germany and led to both German states joining the United Nations.
European championships have been won too, in 1972, 1980 and 1996. After both Olympic Games of 1936 had been held in Germany, Munich was selected to host the 1972 Summer Olympics.
The Second Modification and Supplementation Law (1970) increased the allowance for the third child from DM 50 to DM 60, raised the income-limit for the second child allowance from DM 7,800 to DM 13,200; subsequently increased to DM 15,000 by the third modification law (December 1971), DM 16,800 by the fourth modification law (November 1973), and to DM 18,360 by the fifth modification law (December 1973).
Following a sudden increase in the price of oil, a law was passed in December 1973 granting recipients of social assistance and housing allowances a single heating-oil allowance (a procedure repeated in the winter of 1979 during the Schmidt Administration).
In 1972, winter payments for construction workers were introduced. To assist family planning and marriage and family guidance, the government allocated DM 2 232 000 in 1973 for the payment and for the basic and further training of staff.
A special effort was also made in 1973 to organize the recreation of handicapped persons, with a holiday guide for the handicapped issued with the aid of the Federal Ministry of Family and Youth Affairs and Health in order to help them find suitable holiday accommodation for themselves and their families.
From 1972 to 1973, the total amount of individual aids granted by Guarantee Fund for the integration of young immigrants increased from 17 million DM to 26 million DM.
Under a 1973 law, the limits were increased to 1,000 DM plus 9,000 DM and 4,200 DM for additional family members.
In 1973, the government provided assistance of DM 28 million for the modernisation of old dwellings.
A law of July 1973 fixed the fundamental and minimum requirements regarding workers' dwellings, mainly concerning space, ventilation and lighting, protection against damp, heat and noise, power and heating facilities and sanitary installations. ===== Civil rights and animal protection ===== In regards to civil rights, the Brandt Administration introduced a broad range of socially liberal reforms aimed at making West Germany a more open society.
In 1973, a measure was introduced that facilitated the adoption of young children by reducing the minimum age for adoptive parents from 35 to 25. A women's policy machinery at the national level was established in 1972 while amnesty was guaranteed in minor offences connected with demonstrations.
In addition, the Federal Cost of Moving Act increased the relocation allowance (with effect from 1 November 1973), with the basic allowances raised by DM 50 and DM 100 respectively, while extra allowances for families were raised to a uniform amount of 125 DM. In 1970, the Armed Forces Vocational Schools and the Vocational Advancement Organization extended their services for the first time to conscripts, "so far as military duty permitted".
In July 1973, the 3rd Amendment to the Civilian Service Act came into force; "a prerequisite for the creation of additional civilian service places for recognized conscientious objectors".
From April 1973, the general maintenance payments under the Law amending the Maintenance Security Act and the Workplace Protection Act were increased, while increases were also made in the special allowance (Christmas bonus) for conscripts, together with the dismissal allowance.
In the field of transport, the Municipal Transportation Finance Law of 1971 established federal guidelines for subsidies to municipal governments, while the Federal Transport Plan of 1973 provided a framework for all transport, including public transport.
This was characterised by the real incomes of employees increasing more sharply than incomes from entrepreneurial work, with the proportion of employees' incomes in the overall national income rising from 65% to 70% between 1969 and 1973, while the proportion of income from entrepreneurial work and property fell over that same period from just under 35% to 30%.
In addition, the percentage of West Germans living in poverty (based on various definitions) fell between 1969 and 1973.
According to one estimate, the percentage of West Germans living in poverty fell from 9.7% to 8.9% between 1969 and 1973, and from 20.2% to 14.0% according to another estimate.
In 1973, West Germany—home to roughly 1.26% of the world's population—featured the world's fourth largest GDP of 944 billion (5.9% of the world total).
The two Germanies relinquished any claim to represent the other internationally; which they acknowledged as necessarily implying a mutual recognition of each other as both capable of representing their own populations de jure in participating in international bodies and agreements, such as the United Nations and the Helsinki Final Act. This assessment of the Basic Treaty was confirmed in a decision of the Federal Constitutional Court in 1973; "...
Instead, Brandt, dogged by scandal relating to alcohol and depression as well as the economic fallout of the 1973 oil crisis, almost seems simply to have had enough.
On 31 May 1974, the heads of West German federal and state governments recommended always using the full name in official publications.
Chancellor Brandt was forced to resign in May 1974, after Günter Guillaume, a senior member of his staff, was uncovered as a spy for the East German intelligence service, the Stasi.
Between 1972 and 1974, the purchasing power of pensioners went up by 19%.
Between 1969 and 1974, the average real standard rate of income support rose (in 1991 prices) from around 300 DM to around 400 DM.
Between 1970 and 1974, unemployment benefits rose from around 300 euros to around 400 euros per month, and unemployment assistance from just under 200 euros per month to just under 400 euros per month.
In 2001 prices, the average standard social assistance benefit level rose from around 200 euros per month in 1969 to over 250 euros per month in 1974.
Under a law passed in April 1974, the protection hitherto granted to the victims of war or industrial accidents for the purpose of their occupational and social reintegration was extended to all handicapped persons, whatever the cause of their handicap, provided that their capacity to work had been reduced by at least 50%. ===== Health ===== In the field of health care, various measures were introduced to improve the quality and availability of health care provision.
Under the Severely Handicapped Persons Act of April 1974, a seriously disabled person could retire early on an old age pension at the age of 62 years, provided that he "complied with the other provisions of the legislation on pension insurance". ===== Education ===== In education, the Brandt Administration sought to widen educational opportunities for all West Germans.
The school leaving age was raised to 16, and spending on research and education was increased by nearly 300% between 1970 and 1974.
By 1974, three times as much was paid out in rent subsidies as in 1969, and nearly one and a half million households received rental assistance.
The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18, the age of eligibility for political office was lowered to 21, and the age of majority was lowered to 18 in March 1974.
The Bausparkassen Act of 1972 placed all Bausparkassen (from January 1974 onwards) under the supervision of the Federal Banking Supervisory Office, and confined Bausparkassen "to the contract saving business and related activities".
The consumer's right of withdrawal in case of hire purchase was strengthened in March 1974, and fixed prices for branded products were abolished by law in January that same year, which meant that manufacturers' recommended prices were not binding for retailers.
The Severely Disabled Persons Act of April 1974 obliged all employers with more than fifteen employees to ensure that 6% of their workforce consisted of people officially recognised as being severely handicapped.
In addition, the Severely Handicapped Persons Act of April 1974 extended the welfare and promotional obligations of the employer, and provided a right to extra holiday consisting of six working days. ===== Environmental protection ===== A federal environmental programme was established in 1971, and in 1972 laws were passed to regulate garbage elimination and air pollution via emission.
The Federal Immissions Control Law, passed in March 1974, provided protection from noxious gases, noise, and air-borne particulate matter. ===== Economy ===== Under the Brandt Administration, West Germany attained a lower rate of inflation than in other industrialised countries at that time, while a rise in the standard of living took place, helped by the floating and revaluation of the mark.
According to another estimate, the percentage of West Germans living in poverty during this period fell from 2.7% to 1.4%. ===Helmut Schmidt=== Finance Minister Helmut Schmidt (SPD) formed a coalition and he served as Chancellor from 1974 to 1982.
SPD leader and Chancellor Willy Brandt remained head of government until May 1974, when he resigned after the Guillaume Affair, in which a senior member of his staff was uncovered as a spy for the East German intelligence service, the Stasi.
He served as Chancellor from 1974 to 1982.
The 1974 FIFA World Cup was held in West German cities and West Berlin.
When the G6 was established in 1975, there was no serious debate as to whether West Germany would become a member. Following the collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe in 1989, symbolised by the opening of the Berlin Wall, both territories took action to achieve German reunification.
In 1976 West Germany became one of the founding nations of the Group of Six (G6).
Until 1977 a married woman had to have the permission of her husband if she wanted to take on a job or open a bank account.
(The term "Holocaust" for the systematic mass-murder of Jews first came into use in 1979, when a 1978 American mini-series with that name was shown on West German television.) The processes set in motion by the Auschwitz trial reverberated decades later. The calling in question of the actions and policies of government led to a new climate of debate.
One of his major successes, in collaboration with French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, was the launching of the European Monetary System (EMS) in April 1978. ===Helmut Kohl=== In October 1982 the SPD–FDP coalition fell apart when the FDP joined forces with the CDU/CSU to elect CDU Chairman Helmut Kohl as Chancellor in a constructive vote of no confidence.
In November 1979 the federal government informed the Bundestag that the West German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF had agreed to refuse to use the initialism. The ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code of West Germany was DE (for Deutschland, Germany), which has remained the country code of Germany after reunification.
(The term "Holocaust" for the systematic mass-murder of Jews first came into use in 1979, when a 1978 American mini-series with that name was shown on West German television.) The processes set in motion by the Auschwitz trial reverberated decades later. The calling in question of the actions and policies of government led to a new climate of debate.
In 1979 the environmental party, the Greens, reached the 5% limit required to obtain parliamentary seats in the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen provincial election.
Further reforms in 1979 to parental rights law gave equal legal rights to the mother and the father, abolishing the legal authority of the father.
Following a sudden increase in the price of oil, a law was passed in December 1973 granting recipients of social assistance and housing allowances a single heating-oil allowance (a procedure repeated in the winter of 1979 during the Schmidt Administration).
As a result, in 1979 the Greens were able to reach the 5% minimum required to obtain parliamentary seats in the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen state election, and with the foundation of the national party in 1980 developed into one of the most politically successful green movements in the world. Another result of the unrest in the 1960s was the founding of the Red Army Faction (RAF).
The FDP's share rose from 7% to 9.1%, its best showing since 1980.
As a result, in 1979 the Greens were able to reach the 5% minimum required to obtain parliamentary seats in the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen state election, and with the foundation of the national party in 1980 developed into one of the most politically successful green movements in the world. Another result of the unrest in the 1960s was the founding of the Red Army Faction (RAF).
Schmidt, a strong supporter of the European Community (EC) and the Atlantic alliance, emphasized his commitment to "the political unification of Europe in partnership with the USA". The goals of SPD and FDP however drifted apart in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
European championships have been won too, in 1972, 1980 and 1996. After both Olympic Games of 1936 had been held in Germany, Munich was selected to host the 1972 Summer Olympics.
According to another estimate, the percentage of West Germans living in poverty during this period fell from 2.7% to 1.4%. ===Helmut Schmidt=== Finance Minister Helmut Schmidt (SPD) formed a coalition and he served as Chancellor from 1974 to 1982.
One of his major successes, in collaboration with French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, was the launching of the European Monetary System (EMS) in April 1978. ===Helmut Kohl=== In October 1982 the SPD–FDP coalition fell apart when the FDP joined forces with the CDU/CSU to elect CDU Chairman Helmut Kohl as Chancellor in a constructive vote of no confidence.
He served as Chancellor from 1974 to 1982.
On 1 October 1982 the FDP joined forces with the CDU/CSU to elect CDU Chairman Helmut Kohl as Chancellor in a constructive vote of no confidence.
Following national elections in March 1983, Kohl emerged in firm control of both the government and the CDU.
Kohl's CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU, slipped from 48.8% of the vote in 1983 to 44.3%.
The Greens' share rose to 8.3% from their 1983 share of 5.6%. ===Reunification=== With the collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe in 1989, symbolised by the opening of the Berlin Wall, there was a rapid move towards German reunification; and a final settlement of the post-war special status of Germany.
The CDU/CSU fell just short of an absolute majority, due to the entry into the Bundestag of the Greens, who received 5.6% of the vote. In January 1987 the Kohl–Genscher government was returned to office, but the FDP and the Greens gained at the expense of the larger parties.
The SPD fell to 37%; long-time SPD Chairman Brandt subsequently resigned in April 1987 and was succeeded by Hans-Jochen Vogel.
In 1987 the FRG held a 7.4% share of total world production. ==Demographics== ===Population and vital statistics=== Total population of West Germany from 1950 to 1990, as collected by the Statistisches Bundesamt. ===Religion=== Religious affiliation in West Germany decreased from the 1960s onward.
The CDU/CSU fell just short of an absolute majority, because of the entry into the Bundestag of the Greens, who received 5.6% of the vote. In January 1987 the Kohl–Genscher government was returned to office, but the FDP and the Greens gained at the expense of the larger parties.
When the G6 was established in 1975, there was no serious debate as to whether West Germany would become a member. Following the collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe in 1989, symbolised by the opening of the Berlin Wall, both territories took action to achieve German reunification.
The Greens' share rose to 8.3% from their 1983 share of 5.6%. ===Reunification=== With the collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe in 1989, symbolised by the opening of the Berlin Wall, there was a rapid move towards German reunification; and a final settlement of the post-war special status of Germany.
The United States and Germany in the Era of the Cold War (2 vol 2004), 150 short essays by scholars covering 1945–1990 MacGregor, Douglas A The Soviet-East German Military Alliance New York, Cambridge University Press, 1989. Main, Steven J.
West Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; Bundesrepublik Deutschland, BRD, ), retrospectively designated as the Bonn Republic, is the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 October 1990.
East Germany voted to dissolve and accede to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990.
They formally joined the federal republic on 3 October 1990, raising the total number of states from ten to sixteen, and ending the division of Germany.
In the 1990s attacks were still being committed under the name "RAF".
They formally joined the Federal Republic on 3 October 1990, raising the number of states from 10 to 16, ending the division of Germany.
The expanded Federal Republic retained West Germany's political culture and continued its existing memberships in international organisations, as well as its Western foreign policy alignment and affiliation to Western alliances like NATO and the European Union. The official German reunification ceremony on 3 October 1990 was held at the , including Chancellor Helmut Kohl, President Richard von Weizsäcker, former Chancellor Willy Brandt and many others.
In 1987 the FRG held a 7.4% share of total world production. ==Demographics== ===Population and vital statistics=== Total population of West Germany from 1950 to 1990, as collected by the Statistisches Bundesamt. ===Religion=== Religious affiliation in West Germany decreased from the 1960s onward.
Nevertheless, the act of reunification itself (with its many specific terms and conditions; including fundamental amendments to the West German Basic Law) was achieved constitutionally by the subsequent Unification Treaty of 31 August 1990; that is through a binding agreement between the former GDR and the Federal Republic now recognising each another as separate sovereign states in international law.
This treaty was then voted into effect on 20 September 1990 by both the Volkskammer and the Bundestag by the constitutionally required two-thirds majorities; effecting on the one hand, the extinction of the GDR and the re-establishment of Länder on the territory of East Germany; and on the other, the agreed amendments to the Basic Law of the Federal Republic.
Even in the 1990s, attacks were still being committed under the name RAF.
With the process of unification in full swing in the summer of 1990, the Germans won a third World Cup, with players that had been capped for East Germany not yet permitted to contribute.
West Germany encouraged and covered up a culture of doping across many sports for decades. As in 1957, when the Saarland acceded, East German sport organisations ceased to exist in late 1990 as their subdivisions and their members joined their Western counterparts.
Documents on Germany under Occupation, 1945–1954 (Oxford University Press, 1955) online ==External links== Contemporary German history Former polities of the Cold War Anti-communism in Germany Borders of Germany Political history of Germany States and territories established in 1949 States and territories disestablished in 1990 * * * *
Between 1969 and 1974, the average real standard rate of income support rose (in 1991 prices) from around 300 DM to around 400 DM.
Only after a fierce debate, considered by many as one of the most memorable sessions of parliament, the Bundestag concluded on 20 June 1991, with quite a slim majority, that both government and parliament should move to Berlin from Bonn. ==Economic miracle== The West German Wirtschaftswunder ("economic miracle", coined by The Times) began in 1950.
Thus, the present German organisations and teams in football, Olympics and elsewhere are identical to those that had been informally called "West German" before 1991.
The last action took place in 1993 and the group announced it was giving up its activities in 1998.
The last action took place in 1993, and in 1998 the group announced it was ceasing activities. In the 1969 election, the SPD gained enough votes to form a coalition government with the FDP.
Konrad Adenauer: A German Politician and Statesman in a Period of War, Revolution and Reconstruction (2 vol 1995) excerpt and text search vol 2; also full text vol 1; and full text vol 2 Smith, Gordon, ed, Developments in German Politics (1992) , broad survey of reunified nation Smith, Helmut Walser, ed.
European championships have been won too, in 1972, 1980 and 1996. After both Olympic Games of 1936 had been held in Germany, Munich was selected to host the 1972 Summer Olympics.
The last action took place in 1993 and the group announced it was giving up its activities in 1998.
The last action took place in 1993, and in 1998 the group announced it was ceasing activities. In the 1969 election, the SPD gained enough votes to form a coalition government with the FDP.
Neither condition changed until 1998. ===Denazification=== In 1951 several laws were passed, ending the denazification.
In 2001 prices, the average standard social assistance benefit level rose from around 200 euros per month in 1969 to over 250 euros per month in 1974.
The United States and Germany in the Era of the Cold War (2 vol 2004), 150 short essays by scholars covering 1945–1990 MacGregor, Douglas A The Soviet-East German Military Alliance New York, Cambridge University Press, 1989. Main, Steven J.
Germany, 1945–1990 (Central European University Press, 2004) online edition Williams, Charles.
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