West German federal election, 1954

Peter the Lefty
Peternerdman
YaBB God

Posts: 3,506

Show only this user's posts in this thread

	West German federal election, 1954 « on: November 23, 2013, 11:30:18 AM »
	« edited: November 23, 2013, 04:53:37 PM by Peter the Lefty »

   That Konrad Adenauer's government lasted for its full term was a shock. His coalition of the CDU/CSU, the FDP, the DP, and the BP was volatile to say the least. In 1952, when former MP (and federal Minister) Gustav Heinemann, the chief figure of the Christian Left faction of the party, bolted to form a new Christian Leftist group, fears that CDU MP's would join him grew. Yet surprisingly, no sitting MP's from the CDU joined. Still, it was a difficult alliance to work through. The BHE was soon invited to join the government, and Oberländer himself was given a cabinet position, causing a wave of protest from the SPD.
   The first item on the government's agenda was to satisfy the Bavaria Party's terms for joining the government. Rather than to allow a referendum on Bavarian independence or autonomy, Adenauer had agreed to hold a referendum in the Southwestern Palatinate region on recreating the historical union with Bavaria. The episode was laughed at by both the SPD and foreign powers, East and West. Expectedly, the "Pfalzers" overwhelmingly rejected the idea.
   Adenauer set out to use Marshall plan aid to turn his plans for a "social market economy" into a reality. Along with Economics Minister Ludwig Erhard, the elderly Chancellor expanded social services and benefits while investing in private businesses. He also intended for Germany to join a European Coal and Steel Community, which he saw as an end result of the International Authority of the Ruhr.
   Adenauer's signature on the Treaty of Paris, which allowed the Allies to extract steel from the Ruhr region (which was to remain under the International Authority until 1952), and for the French to extract coal from the Saar region until 1981, caused an uproar which seriously undermined the DP's credibility as a nationalist party. The French and Germans would have equal voting rights in the Authority, and most Lower Saxons were outraged. The SPD opposed the treaty quite vocally, and Schumacher soon labelled Adenauer as the "Chancellor of the Allies." The DP held that signing the treaty was the only way to prevent an even more brutal treaty in the future.
   Another controversial aspect of Adenauer's (first?) premiership was the push for an end to denazification efforts. Controversy arose when he refused to fire his own State Secretary, Hans Globke, after it emerged that the latter had played a major role in drafting anti-Semitic laws during the Third Reich. In response to SPD criticism in the Bundestag, Adenauer said that nothing in Globke's past warranted his dismissal, sparking cries of "shame," "traitor" and even "Nazi-friend" from the SPD benches. Adenauer also began to push for the release of many Nazi war criminals being held in prison by the Allies, including, namely, the so-called Spandau Seven (Albert Speer, Karl Dönitz, Konstantin Von Neurath, Rudolf Hess, Walter Funk, Erich Raeder, and Baldur von Scheurath.) He also attempted to balance this with attempts to compensate Israel and Jewish refugees for their suffering and property losses during the Third Reich. During the aftermath of the passage of these laws, Adenauer passed official legislation ending denazification.
   The year 1952 saw the left-wing of the CDU split off, causing momentary tension within Adenauer's government. Rumors would later circulate that around this time, Stalin considered sending the West German government a message entailing openness to a reunified, democratic, and neutral Germany, and only decided against it after realizing how easily the Germans would see through it, as he'd instructed Molotov to reject such an offer two years before while negotiating with the BRD.
   1952 also saw the death of SPD chairman Kurt Schumacher. The aftermath of his unexpected demise saw a rare outpouring of sympathy from (nearly) all factions of the political spectrum, though the BHE and DP paid tribute to him only for his service in World War I, reinforcing the notion among many Germans that both if these two parties were essentially controlled by former Nazis. Yet among the SPD, the CDU, the CSU, and most of the FDP, there was a genuine outpouring of grief for Schumacher.
   Adenauer's government managed to continue to build the so-called social market economy, and unemployment was beginning to see a drop. Still, social safety nets were considered necessary, and the SPD pushed quite forcefully and successfully for them in the Bundestag.
   The SPD appeared to gain a bit of a boost on foreign policy in 1953. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin died of a stroke, and was replaced by the (apparent) reformer Nikita Khrushchev. Hopes for the original proposal for a unified, non-aligned Germany rose once again. However, Adenauer dismissed the possibility and continued to push for Western European integration, sparking a wave of criticism from the SPD. In addition, that year also saw the passage of the Federal Expellee Law, which granted all ethnic Germans who had been expelled from former German territory East of the Oder-Neisse line automatic West German citizenship, in addition to legal recognition as refugees.
   On economic issues, Ludwig Erhard's formula appeared to be succeeding in its goal, but recovery was still slow. Guest worker programs were being utilized, sparking cries of outrage from the SPD, which considered them to be exploitative, and felt that higher-paid German workers should have been given the jobs. Tax rates were reduced across the board, and the capital investment rate rose.

Logged

Peter the Lefty
Peternerdman
YaBB God

Posts: 3,506

	Re: West German federal election, 1954 « Reply #1 on: November 23, 2013, 11:31:13 AM »
	« Edited: November 23, 2013, 11:32:55 AM by Peter the Lefty »

   Shortly after Schumacher's death, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) elected his deputy, former Chancellor Erich Ollenhauer, as his successor. Ollenhauer is more moderate than Schumacher, and does not oppose the alliance with the U.S. in principle, but he believes it must come second to reunification, and is calling for talks with the new Soviet leader on the subject of a reunified, democratic (and most likely neutral, though certainly not East-aligned) Germany. Ollenhauer is calling for the socialization of "heavy industry" and "monopolies," though smaller firms are to be left alone. The party is also promising to equalize pay rates between German workers and guest workers so that working conditions do not deteriorate.

   The Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) is running on the "economic miracle" of the last four years, touting Adenauer's evident ability to lead a volatile coalition that managed to last its full term. It holds that the social market formula is in the process of leading Germany towards prosperity, and maintains that the guest worker program is necessary. The dismantling of the denazification system is also being touted. In addition, Adenauer is emphasizing anti-communism, the alliance with the West, European integration, and skepticism of Khrushchev's sincerity. Concerns regarding Adenauer's health are growing, and some are suggesting he step aside (most likely for Erhard), but he is once again the CDU/CSU alliance's nominee for Chancellor.

   The Free Democratic Party (FDP) is still under the leadership of Franz Blücher, who managed to fend off an anti-rearmament leadership challenge from Theodor Heuss a year ago. The party is also touting the end of denazification as an achievement, while also supporting (with some flexibility) Adenauer's foreign policy. On economics, the party's leadership appears to be attempting to outflank the CDU on the right in spite of opposition from the party's left-liberals, namely Heuss himself. Social justice is less apparent in the party's election program than before, and individual liberty, free enterprise, and secularism appear to be the main themes.

   The Bavaria Party is being laughed at right now. The only concession which it extracted from Adenauer was a referendum on the reunion of the Palatinate region with Bavaria, which was overwhelmingly rejected by the Pfalzers. Nothing in the way of independence or autonomy would be voted on. The BP insists that it entered the government due to the necessity for stability. Nonetheless, it is once again campaigning for independence for Bavaria. Or autonomy. No one knows.

   The German Party has seen much of its credibility erode during the last four years thanks to its participation in a government which signed a treaty allowing for continuing deindustrialization of the Rhine (in spite of the process having ended in 1952). The beginnings of the social market economy have also undermined the DP's image, as it has run on opposition to regulation of the economy in every past election. Nonetheless, it saw a boost when the Economic Reconstruction Union merged into it in 1953 after a series of disastrous local and state election results. It is again campaigning on keeping regulation and "handouts" to an absolute minimum, and to "rebuild the greater German nation." I should point out that the German word for "great" also means big, so how you interpret that is up to you.

   The Communist Party of Germany (KPD) is attempting to capitalize on the wave of cautious optimism that has greeted Khrushchev's rise to power in the USSR. It is still promising to reunite the two Germanys under the the flag of the GDR, but not having to deal with Stalin's image seems to have given the party something of a boost.

   The All-German People's Party (GVP) was founded two years ago by former Finance Minister Gustav Heinemann, the leader of the left wing of the CDU. He left his party due to opposition to re-armament. His new group is emphasizing pacifism on a Christian basis, opposition to religious and racial bigotry, and active government efforts to achieve social justice in the name of God. Its leaders are mainly Protestant, but some Catholics from the former Center Party have joined as well. Scott, this party was practically made for you in rl, too.

   The All-German Bloc/League of Expellees and Deprived of Rights (GB/BHE) has added the first part of its name to appeal further to nationalist voters. It is touting the refugee law as a major achievement, and is promising to continue acting as a pressure group for ethnic Germans expelled from former territories in the East (well, East of the East).

   The German Reich Party (DRP) is touting itself as a new and more credible alternative to the DP, which it accuses of selling out to the "Allied" parties. It is running on an über-nationalist platform, and, well, its name pretty much speaks for itself.

   The Organization for National Gathering (DNS) is yet another far-right grouping. It is probably the most openly Neo-Nazi of all of the parties competing. In its ranks are a number of revisionist "historians" and publishers, such as the former Hitler Youth leader Karl-Heinz Priester.

   The South-Schleswig Voters' Association (SSW) is once again running to represent the interest of the Danish-speaking minority in Schleswig-Holstein who would like to see the border between West Germany and Denmark redrawn in order to include them in Denmark.

Logged

RogueBeaver
Atlas Star

Posts: 20,058

	Welcome, Guest. Please login or register. Did you miss your activation email? April 25, 2024, 12:57:40 AM

News: Election Simulator 2.0 Released. Senate/Gubernatorial maps, proportional electoral votes, and more - Read more