Green and Red between tensions and opportunities: a history of the formation of the West German Green Party, 1968-1981.
Date
2009-11-03T22:23:56Z
Authors
Burns, Grant Alexander
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Abstract
In the West German federal election of 1983, the Green party won enough votes
to earn seats the Bundestag. The young party’s fame grew exponentially as a result and
they have become, arguably, the most well-known of all environmental parties. This
project explores the formation of the Greens. The Greens’ political identity is reassessed
by examining the party’s roots in the new social movements and the formation of the
party, regionally and federally. I contend that the Greens represent a political experiment
whose establishment as a parliamentary party was never certain. The Greens attempted
to integrate “postmaterialist” issues and grassroots organizational forms into the
traditional politics of the Federal Republic. This paper also establishes the opportunities
available for a new party within the context of the development of the left in post-war
West Germany.
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Keywords
Elections, Politics, West Germany