Protest and Democracy in West Germany : Extra-Parliamentary Opposition and the Democratic Agenda

The Federal Republic of Germany has long been held up as a 'model society' on account of its economic and social policy achievements. Largely ignored, however, has been the crucial part played by extra-parliamentary protest in the maturing of democracy in that society. In this, the first comprehensive study of the subject in English, the authors trace the rich history of political protest in West Germany and examine the political role of critical intellectuals. The book will give the reader a good understanding of the crucial changes that have taken place in the political culture of the Federal Republic since the mid 1960s Front Matter....Pages i-x Introduction: Changes in the Nature of the Political Terrain after 1945....Pages 1-16 Critical Intellectuals as Extra-Parliamentary Custodians of Democracy....Pages 17-71 The Protest for Peace: Opposition to Remilitarisation and Nuclear Weapons (1950 to 1969)....Pages 72-98 The Anti-Authoritarian Student Movement (1965 to 1969): a Caesura in the Political Discourse....Pages 99-124 The Politics of the Women’s Movement and the Cultural Challenge of Feminism (1968 to 1985)....Pages 125-163 Citizens’ Initiatives: Grassroots Democracy and the Growth of Environmentalism in the 1970s and 1980s....Pages 164-204 The Protest for Peace: Mass Opposition to Nuclear Arms (1980 to 1986)....Pages 205-229 The Greens as the Parliamentary Tribune of Protest Politics....Pages 230-262 Conclusion: Changes in the Nature of the Political Culture since the Late 1960s....Pages 263-278 Back Matter....Pages 279-325