Threats to Constitutional Freedoms in West Germany

Abstract

Introduction: Fear and Opportunism on the Rise Even the attentive observer who might grasp the significance of isolated circumstances would not be able to give a clear picture after a visit to the Federal Republic today. If he were to compare the contemporary scene and atmosphere with that of the late 1960s and early 1970s, he would almost have to conclude that the country was totally different then. There has been an apparent return to normalcy. The Federal Republic is calm. Excitement centers on the voting patterns of a few representatives in the parliament of Lower Saxony who chose a Christian Democratic (CDU) as ministerpresident. There are no mass demonstrations, and large deployments of police can be observed in action only against the nearly invisible enemy -a few scattered terrorist groups. Most people buy the morning paper, go to work and watch tv news reports in the evening. What more can one ask for? Of course, there are more unemployed now than in the past (the highest rate in decades), and there is an unusually high number of youth and young academics among the unemployed. But what is the situation like in other western industrial countries? It is clearly worse. All in all, the Federal Republic of Germany appears healthy and normal and only has to contend with the usual day-to-day problems of an advanced capitalist society. Of course, it is possible to point to inadequacies here and there, but there is apparently little that could give rise to fundamental dissatisfaction with the system. Still, the climate in the Federal Republic seems strangely tense. On the one hand, there is a tendency toward establishing complete security against all politically disruptive forces, especially against all radicals, as critics are generally classified in this country. The compulsion for security, initiated and supported by the government and the major political parties, goes so far that the demise of all liberal and constitutional guarantees seems to be imminent. On the other hand, fear and insecurity are spreading far beyond the realm of the few politically conscious groups and individuals, for the majority of German intellectuals are unpolitical or even conservative. This compulsion for security pursued by the official bureaucracy manifests itself in the following ways: