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The Greens in Germany
In the aftermath of the oil crisis of 1973, regional political groups
concerned with environmental issues began to put up candidates in communal
and regional elections. In 1980 a number of ecological groups, alternative
action movements, and various women's rights organizations banded together
on the national level to form the political party that came to be called
the Greens (Die Gruenen).
Although the political views of the various groups in the new party
were widely diverse, all agreed that the continuous expansion of the economy
was detrimental to the environment and that disarmament was imperative
if mankind were to survive. The Greens' support for radical peace movements
and their demand that the FRG withdraw from NATO prevented many West Germans
from taking the Greens seriously as a political force. In the Bundestag
elections of 1980, they could muster only 1.5 percent of the vote, not
enough to win any parliamentary seats. In the 1983 elections, however,
they broke the 5 percent barrier and won twenty-seven seats in the Bundestag.
Differing ideological orientations within the Greens soon began to undermine
the party's effectiveness in the political process. Two different factions
emerged: the dogmatic fundamentalists (Fundis), who were unwilling to
make any compromises on policy in order to win political allies; and the
realists (Realos), who were ready to enter into a coalition with the SPD
on the communal and Land level in order to put environmentalist
ideas into practice.
Another cause of disagreement within the party organization of the Greens
was the principle of rotation of seats in the Bundestag and in Land
diets. This policy required deputies to give up their seats after
only half a term so that other Green candidates would have an opportunity
to participate in the political process. As a result, experienced representatives
who understood the workings of parliament were forced to relinquish their
seats and were relegated to subordinate work in the party. Such unrealistic
policies persuaded numerous talented Green politicians to withdraw from
active politics, or to leave the party altogether. In 1984 a party leadership
consisting only of women was elected, giving the Greens an image of practicing
reverse discrimination.
Although the Realos among the Greens subsequently participated in
Land governments as cabinet members, the party remained on the periphery
of politics during the remainder of the 1980s. Nevertheless, the Greens
positively influenced the views of the traditional political parties concerning
the ecology and the preservation of natural resources.
- Willy Brandt
- Ostpolitik
- Helmut Schmidt
- The Student
Movement and Terrorism
- The Greens
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