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GERMAN POLITICAL CULTURETerm Paper
Course : European political cultures
Professor : Lect .Dr. Cristina Petrescu
Author : Rusu Catalin
SPE III
-May 2013-
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. On German political culture ……………………………………………………. 3
2. The analysis of the main political features ………………………………………4
2.1 The Baader-Meinhof Complex ……………………………………...4
2.2 Das Wunder von Bern ………………………………………………8
2.3 Goodbye Lenin! …………………………………………………….11
3. Conclusions ………………………………………………………………………13
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ON GERMAN POLITICAL CULTURE
In order to summarize the modern history of Germany,Ekkart Zimmermann is of
the opinion that“There are few nation-states whose political culture presents as much of a
puzzle as the German one”1.This argument is supported by certain characteristics of the
German political culture such as “more neighbors around her than any other European
state;a territorial expansion after the Munich agreement of 1938,almost as great as that of
the overstretched nineteenth-century Bismarck empire;the unconditional surrender in
1945 (…) and the division of Germany into two states by 1949,only for them to be
suddenly reunited in 1989”.2
The main question posed by Zimmermann refers to the degree to which the
German state can benefit from stability and prosperity on the accounts of a reunification
of two contrasting political cultures.We talk about a country which suffered because of
the dismantle of non-democratic political constructions.The dilemma is raised by the fact
that apart from the failure of the Holy Roman Empire and the German Empire,the 20 th
century marked the complete failure of the Weimar Republic and of the Nazi regime led
by Adolf Hitler.The year which marked the climax of defeats is 1945.It is the moment
when Germany suffered the loss in the Second World War,surrendering just as it did in
the context of the First World War.Therefore,how can a state be reconstructed on the
ashes of a nation influenced by its two biggest defeats in history?
The economic and political system of East and West Germany had to be subjected
to a process of reconstruction.In the light of reunification,the “legacy of history” was at
the basis of the strength of the West-German political culture3 whereas the Eastern
counterpart was obliged to learn from its mistakes in order to correct its cultural failure
during the period of the Cold War.The mix which resulted after the fall of the Berlin wall
had to be taken into account as a combination of strength and weakness,of recovery and
1 Ekkart Zimmermann, "Germany," in Roger Eatwell, ed., European Political Cultures: Conflict orConvergence? (London: Routledge, 1997) ,p.882 Ibid.3 Ekkart Zimmermann, "Germany," in Roger Eatwell, ed., European Political Cultures: Conflict orConvergence? (London: Routledge, 1997) ,p.89
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backwardness.It was the main issue which dominated the German political culture in the
years which marked the beginning of the 90s.
THE ANALYSIS OF THE MAIN POLITICAL FEATURES
THE BAADER-MEINHOF COMPLEX
The main focus of the scenes of the “Baader-Meinhof Complex” movie is on the
context of the political culture of West Germany during the 1960s and 1970s.It has the
ability to present the main characteristics of the Federal Republic of Germany through the
terrorist actions of the group lead by the youngsters led by Andreas Baader and the left-
wing oriented journalist,Ulrike Meinhof.The opposition of the youngsters to the actions
of the German Government is caused by the fact that the so-called “imperialistic war” in
Vietnam is supported by the leaders of the FRG.The birth of the Red Army Faction as it
will be called the Baader-Meinhof group is linked with the student movement which
emerged in West Germany as a response to the authoritarianism of the government as
well and to the precarious living conditions of West-German students.This form of
protest which erupted in the last years of the 1960s had a worldwide impact on the left-
wing activists.In order to talk about the contrast between the political culture of the
Federal Republic of Germany and the ideology and policy of the Red-Army Faction there
has to be drawn a clear line between the two.
The division of Germany which took place at the beginning of the Cold War
points out that Germany was not only divided geographically but also politically.It shows
how the Cold War opponents managed to influence German politics through the birth of
East Germany in the occupation zone which belonged to the Soviet Union and the birth
of the West Germany on the territory belonging to the occupation zone of the Western
Allies:USA,Great Britain and France.The division of Berlin into its Eastern and Western
counterparts is not only territorial but political.On the one hand,we talk about a state
dominated by principles of socialism,a satellite of power for the Soviet Union in the long-
term conflict with the United States.Its values were similar to the ones of the USSR,
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having a state-owned economy and a political culture subjected to the characteristics of
Marxist-Leninist socialism.On the other hand,West Germany is defined as a Federal
Parliamentary Republic.In addition to the form of government,the state is characterized
through its strong cooperation with the Western forces,France and USA,an alignment
with the Western cultural,political and economic values.In the light of the World War
Two,the economic revival of the FRG was possible only because of the support of the
United States through the means of the Marshall Plan.
In the context of the movie,the 1960s can be characterized as “a domestic crisis”
of the Federal Republic of Germany.This can be explained through the historical
importance of the Adenauer Era which came to an end in 1963.Chancellor Adenauer
managed to put the basis of the reconstruction of the state in the aftermath of the Second
World War.The state which was on the verge of economic collapse was transformed into
a powerful nation during the Adenauer Era especially because of the cooperation with the
Westerns.The coalition of Adenauer ended in a period when economic growth was
subjected to a severe decrease.The most striking indicator is the growth rate : it “evolved”
from 4.7% in 1962 to a rate of 2% in 1963.During the period of Adenauer’s
successor,Ludwig Erhard,economy into even deeper recession and the immediate
consequence was his substitution with Kurt Georg Kissinger.His “Grand Coalition” was
formed between the most important West-German parties: the CDU and the Social
Democratic Party (SPD).The main effect on the political culture of FRG is represented by
the new provisions for emergency acts.In other words,two-thirds majorities were required
for the enactment of new emergency acts.This controversial ruling which restricted
human and constitutional rights imposed limited freedom of speech and movement.The
negative consequence of this decision is marked by the opposition of the Free-
Democratic Party as well as the labor unions and Student movements which will emerge
at the end of the 1960s.These movements led to the appearance of the Baader-Meinhof
Group which will become the Red –Army Faction
RAF is described as the most important left-wing oriented group which was
founded in the aftermath of the Second World War on the territory of the Federal
Republic of Germany.Its creators are young leftist militants such as Andreas Baader and
Gudrun Ensslin and the left-wing oriented journalist,Ulrike Meinhof.Defined by a
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communist ideology and an anti-imperialistic policy,the group acted against the actions
of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany which aimed to put the basis of
an imperialist power.The contrast between the Red Army Faction and the political culture
of FRG is pointed out through the words of the journalist Ulrike Meinhof “the only
freedom here (West Germany) is for the police” who additionally states that the protest of
the students proves that “we live in a police state”.
In opposition to the actions of the Red Army Faction,Ekkart Zimmermann states
that “The smooth transition from Christian-Democrat dominated coalitions during 1949-
1965,to the Grand Coalition,to a Social-Democrat led-government after 1969,further
underlined the democratic normalcy of the system”4 .We can deduct that the actions of
the leftist groups were heavily influenced by the economic theory of Marx because their
creed was that the West-German economy will led to an even bigger gap between the
lower class and the rich.The actions of RAF are identical with left wing terrorism which
is known as the set of action having the ultimate goal the “overthrow of capitalist
governments and their replacement with Marxist-Leninist socialism”5.
The political culture of the Federal Republic of Germany is incompatible with the
ideology of the group led by Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof.The opposition of the
FRG to the Eastern counterpart is underlined through the fact that until the 1970s,the
Federal Government didn’t recognize as legitimate the government of the German
Democratic Republic.Until “Neue Ostpolitik” which recognised the government of East
Germany as a “de facto” body there was no connection with the political elite of the
GDR.
There is no shadow of doubt that the measures taken at the end of 1960s and the
support of the American intervention in Vietnam are the two main reasons which led to
the discontent of the leftist militants.In terms of political culture,Marxism-Leninism is
characterized by egalitarianism,class conflict and anti –imperialistic and anti-fascist
policy and this is the model which the Red Army Faction wanted to impose within the
West-German society.The words of Ulrike who affirmed that “the only freedom here is
for the police” are determined by the fact that the German student Benno Ohnesorg ended
4 Ekkart Zimmermann, "Germany," in Roger Eatwell, ed., European Political Cultures: Conflict orConvergence? (London: Routledge, 1997) ,p.965 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-wing_terrorism#cite_note-Brockhoff_p._17-8
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up being shot in the head by police officer,Karl-Heinz Kurras.Years after this event it was
revealed that the officer had been a member of SEW,the West Berlin Communist Party.In
addition,he worked for the Ministry for State Security also known as Stasi which was in
fact the state security service of East Germany.Based on these assumptions that “a police
state” dominates the Federal Republic,many leftist militants joined the cause of Andreas
Baader and Ulrike Meinhof.
When it comes to the period of the 1970s,Ekkart Zimmermann affirms that “The
stability of West German society,which once again became apparent in handling the two
oil price shocks of 1973 and 1980,allowed it to become more and more of an attractive
model,mixing market incentives with state provisions and “guaranteeing”its inhabitants
a high standard of living”6 .It has to be emphasized that the 1970s decade was marked by
the terrorist actions of the Red Army Faction.Although the founders were inexperienced
ordinary citizens,the group managed to evolve from acting at a local scale to a national
one,attracting more than seven million supporters.Its development is defined by the
progress pointed out through the terrorist actions directed to the public institutions of
West Germany .Their operations aimed to catch the eye of the Federal Government,the
only “responsible” for the appearance of this militant guerilla group.The contrast between
the political values of West Germany and the ideology of the Red Army Faction led to
terrorism.
One of the most interesting facts about this contradiction of ideals has to be the
survival of the Red Army Faction even though its founders were arrested after the bomb
attacks directed to German authorities and American military personnel with the base in
Federal Germany.The appearance of the “Second Generation” shows that although West
Germany can be seen as a model of economic and political success ,its society is
disrupted on the basis of the cleavage between the right-wing oriented and the leftist
militants.It has to be stated that the operations of this “Generation” were targeted to
important public officials of the state.They used kidnapping and assassination as tools of
terror against the Federal Prosecutor Siegfried Buback,the President of Dresdner Bank,
Jurgen Ponto and Hanns Martin-Schleyer,the President of the Employers’ Association.It
6 Ekkart Zimmermann, "Germany," in Roger Eatwell, ed., European Political Cultures: Conflict orConvergence? (London: Routledge, 1997) ,p.96
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had to underline the protest of the Red Army Faction against the against of the
government which refused to release the founders of the group.
To sum up,we have to affirm that the main point of the “Baader-Meinhof
Complex” movie is the contrast generated by the political culture of West Germany in the
1960s and 1970s in relation with the appearance of a left-militant group which aimed to
attract sympathizers through its violent actions in order to change the policy of the
Federal State in economic,political and diplomatic terms.
DAS WUNDER VOR BERN
The action of “Das Wunder von Bern” takes place in 1954 having the purpose to
present the political culture of the Federal Republic of Germany in the immediate
aftermath of the Second World War.Marked by a disastrous war which ended with the
defeat of the Germans and with the split of the state in two: the occupation zone of the
Western Allies and the one belonging to the Soviet Union.The birth of the Federal
Republic of Germany (West Germany) and of the German Democratic Republic ( East
Germany) was the proof of supreme defeat and such a disrupted society needed a
“miracle” in order to survive .
In order to talk about the “miracles” which took place within the West-German
society,it has to be emphasized that the movie has two main storylines:the road of the
West-German team to the 1954 World Cup final and the faith of the Lubanski family. In
the latter case,we talk about how the destiny of a mother and her three children is
changed by the return from the Russian camps of the former German prisoner of
war,Richard Lubansky.The head of the family returns after eleven years to a land that is
unrecognizable to him and to a family that is shocked by his alienation of reality.The
portrait of the Lubanski family and the images in which it is presented their neighborhood
in the city of Essen help us to create an image of the West-German political culture in the
outcome of the Second World War.
The scenes presenting Essen have the purpose to show the conditions in which
people lived.A city dominated by poverty with streets surrounded by heaps of debris and
houses damaged by the brutal conflict which marked the defeat of Germany.The poor
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economic condition of West-Germany is underlined even better by the fact that children
play football with an improvised ball.Daily life is defined by a financial struggle to
survive against the economic burden of a state which has to be reconstructed after a
disastrous collapse.The irony is that Essen is located in a main industrial region
dominated by mining but this interesting fact has to show that poverty was the general
characteristic of Germany.
The first “miracle” witnessed regards the evolution of the former prisoner of
war.The dilemma which strikes the mind of former prisoners of war is defined by the
contrast between the two images of the society .The first one is defined by the prosperous
state,the world power that was Germany at the end of the 1930s.The current image is
distorted because it presents a state on the verge of collapse,families with no financial
future and a society which struggles in order to survive.This is the parallel that shocks
Richard Lubanski.In order to restore the old values,he tries to impose discipline within
the members of the family,managing to become a stranger even to his wife.This
psychological feature of the former prisoners of war might also be explained through the
fact that they are still shocked of the hell they have witnessed during war time.Without a
shadow of doubt,the scene which marks the “miracle” is the one in which Lubanski takes
his little son named Mattes on a road trip to the 1954 World Cup Final in Bern.
In order to talk about the features of the West-German political culture,there has
to be pointed out an important character:Bruno,the older brother of Mattes.He is the only
dominated by a complete rejection of the Nazi past,being perfectly portrayed by the
words of his father:”a big mouth with Communist ideas”.The reasons which led to his
departure to East Berlin are very well described by the scene in which he says to Mattes
“Everyone is equal there.There’s no rich or poor and no unemployment.There’s freedom
of speech”.This is a certain feature that shows the despair which dominated the Federal
Republic and the fact that some West-Germans might even travel to the Eastern
counterpart, dominated by equality and socialism.Another reason that leads to the
departure of Bruno is linked with the psychological condition of a former prisoner of war
who isn’t able to change his mentality.It is a common fact,a valid characteristic for the
West-German political culture because families had to reach a breaking point in order to
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survive the precarious living conditions.For the former prisoners of war,the main test was
to face the cruel reality of a totally changed world.
Another tool through which the director managed to illustrate certain features of
the political culture is the contrast of images between the scenes shot in Essen and the
ones shot during the World Cup Tournament in Switzerland.It is the difference between
two worlds,one of them destroyed and torn to pieces whereas the other one looking bright
and prosperous.This can be explained through the fact that Switzerland was not invaded
during the two world conflicts which dominated the 20 th century.Instead of being
involved,Switzerland opted for neutrality and during the Second World War remained
independent through its cooperation with Germany.This is quite well emphasized through
the scenes in which Switzerland seems to be a colored nation,dominated by stability and
peace.On the other side,we see narrow streets and small buildings with no splash of color
whatsoever.The scenes shot in Essen seem to be dominated by darkness and lack of
harmony.In other words,we have the image of a world in which society witnessed a
catastrophic outcome of the war whereas in the case of the Swiss political culture we
identify harmony,prosperity and stability.
The second miracle of the movie culminates with the victory of West-Germany
over Hungary in the 1954 World Cup Final held in Bern.The whole tournament can be
associated with the 1954 political culture of the Federal Republic.The Germans were seen
a failure and this was additionally pointed out by the 8-3 loss against Hungary in the
Group Stage.The outcome of the match showed two torn apart universes united by
despair and distrust.Furthermore,the defeat of the national team amplified the restlessness
of the German society.A miracle appears when the former prisoner of war rediscovers the
pleasure to play football,the scene being associated with the 6-1 victory over the
Austrians in the Semifinal of the World Cup.The scenes presenting the Final of the World
Cup show how a nation lived through its national team,how a football miracle marked a
“miracle”within the German society.The unexpected win over the Hungarians is
connected with the mood of an entire nation.It is suggested that the winning of the 1954
World Cup can be considered the date when the Federal Republic of Germany was
born.The idea that strikes the mind of the viewer is that the political culture of Germany
was revived through this football miracle.
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In order to conclude,it has to be stated that the movie “Das Wunder von Bern”
points out the condition of the German society in the light of the Second World War
events by using certain allegories and contrasts which manage to shape the image of a
disrupted and damaged world.
GOODBYE,LENIN!
Goodbye Lenin! is one of the most well-acclaimed movies which presents the
reality of the East-German political culture in the period of the Cold War.The main target
of the movie is to present the “bridge” that divided the East and the West in the aftermath
of the Second World War by pointing out through irony certain differences of the two
German societies.The two worlds are presented simultaneously,an allegory to the fact
that any type of cultural or political division can be overcome.
The scene which determines the sequence of events shows the demonstration of
East Germans against the existence of a wall that divides the two German states.It points
out a certain feature of the 1989 German Democratic Republic,a society dominated by
discontent of the fact that the results of local government elections were frauded.The
period of 1985-1989 is characterized as being the decline of the East-German state and
one of the main reasons which led to the disaster is emphasized by Ekkart Zimmermann
who affirms “East Germany was close to bankruptcy in the 1980s due to cuts in Soviet oil
supply and the exhaustion of her own resources.Thereafter she had to rely heavily on
credit from the West and on her own surface brown coal,causing gigantic ecological
damage”7.The Soviet model imposed within GDR came to an end,this being a clear-cut
case that followed the path of former Eastern communist regimes which fell in 1989.
The scene presenting the demonstration of the East-Germans culminates with the
moment when Christiane Kerner sees her son Alex getting beaten by the police
forces.After passing out ,she falls into a coma.She wakes up in a period when Germany
was no longer divided because of the fall of the Berlin Wall.Although Germany was
reunited,the doctors advise Alex to keep his mother safe in order to not create a shock 7 Ekkart Zimmermann, "Germany," in Roger Eatwell, ed., European Political Cultures: Conflict orConvergence? (London: Routledge, 1997) ,p.94
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that would lead to her death.Thus,he wants to recreate the universe of East-Germany in
order to induce to his mother the fact that nothing happened while she was in a coma.It is
the action that outlines the antithesis between the two German worlds.The political
culture of the two former divisions of Germany are pointed out through the actions of
Alex which are in accordance with the wishes of his mother.
The transition from socialism to democracy,the substitution of censorship with
freedom of speech and the westernization of the German state is showed through the
scenes presented while Christiane was in coma.By presenting the night spent by Alex in a
club or the fact that Coca-Cola began to be sold in the German shops,the director aimed
to underline the way in which the political culture of the newly-created state was
characterized by democracy and liberty instead of “borrowing” the political features of
the German Democratic Republic.The contrast is also marked by the appearance of
pornography which started to be broadcasted through cable television.All these scenes
have the capacity to point out the rapid transition to which the former East-Germany was
subjected.What is even more interesting is that Alex wanted to recreate the universe of
the former GDR in order to keep his mother safe and out of the danger of suffering a fatal
shock.
The irony and nostalgia of the scenes has a powerful impact in showing how East-
Germany differed from the reunified Federal Republic of Germany.The mentality of the
former socialist state is envisioned through the wishes of Christiane.She is the one who
misses the patriotic songs ,the taste of German pickled cucumbers or even the content of
a newscast.The fact that Alex has to struggle in order to fulfill the wishes of his mother
shows how much has changed the political culture of the state after reunification.From
the image of a decent life which was possible under socialism we are transferred into a
world dominated by a diversity and capitalistic opportunities.The character of Christiane
Kerner is the perfect image of the former residents of East-Germany who are nostalgic of
the historical past,a dominant feature in the years which followed the reunification of the
two German states.
Without a shadow of doubt,the director takes into account the Kerner family as a
metaphor,as a tool through which East Germany is contrasting West-Germany.The father
of Alex who left Christiane for a “Western affair” is the image which generated the
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loyalty of a damaged wife to socialism and its values.The personal failures of her
character outlines the discrepancies that divide the two states,the contrast between the
peaceful and human conditions of the East in comparison with the turmoil created by the
Western influence.In other words,the Kerner family is an allegory,a distinction between
between the political and cultural values of two states divided by a wall.The devotion of
the woman to the values of GDR such as the patriotic shows or the dependence on the
own production emphasizes the reluctance of East Germany to foreign products.Another
allegory used in order to present the image of a reunified state is represented by the visit
paid by Robert Kerner to his ailing wife.
“Goodbye Lenin!” remains a famous cinematographic masterpiece which used
scenes and characters in order to create a tragicomic situation of the transformation of the
former German Democratic Republic.The movie uses the emotion of nostalgia when
presenting the substitution of socialism with capitalism values which dominated the
entire spectrum of the political culture of Germany at the beginning of the 1990s.
CONCLUSIONS
The three masterpieces are relevant in order to underline the main characteristics
of the German political culture in the light of the second part of the 20 th century.They
present the political and historical context through comic or tragic scenes with the usage
of irony or reality.The key element is defined by the distinction shown between the two
worlds.On the one hand,we talk about an universe which is opened to the Western
influences,to the products of United States or France.On the other hand,it is the image of
a clone,a copy of the Soviet Union and its principles.A catastrophic Second World War is
identified as the cause of this domino effect which affected the German society until
reunification,when the two distinct political cultures were united by values such as
German identity,patriotism,modernization or democracy.It is the creed that led to the fall
of the Berlin Wall,a construction which divided a nation into two entities.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
» EATWELL,Roger ,European Political Cultures , Routledge Publisher, 1997
» http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-wing_terrorism#cite_note-Brockhoff_p._17-8
» http://www.baader-meinhof.com/tag/red-army-faction/
» KUUSINEN, Otto , Fundamentals of Marxism-Leninism , Lawrence & Wishart;1St
Edition, 1961
» TURNER Jr,Henry A. ,The Two Germanies since 1945 , Yale University Press , 1989
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