German student movement

The German student movement was a protest movement that took place during the late 1960s in Germany. It was largely a reaction against the perceived authoritarianism and hypocrisy of the German government and other Western governments, and the poor living conditions of students. A wave of protests - some violent - swept Germany, fueled by over-reaction by the police and encouraged by contemporary protest movements across the world. Following more than a century of conservatism among German students, the German student movement also marked a significant major shift to the left and radicalisation of student politics.

Early stages of the movement

The situation at the universities was also different than may be expected. The students were mostly taught scientific models of economics, politics etc. but were not taught how they worked, that they could be changed and that these models were only partly transferable to the real world. This curriculum was formed to keep the students from seeing the real connections of economy, politics and the general social situation making them as efficient as possible for their future jobs, to keep the Wirtschaftswunder of Germany up and running.

Related Topics:
Scientific - Economics - Wirtschaftswunder

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When the miracle was over, however, the German economy had to be reorganized; with the forming of the national unity government in 1966 the government had all the power it needed to shape the economy the way it wanted: there was no opposition left to question their actions. By this time the students had already discovered that the economic wealth of the nation, instead of improving the standard of living of the working class, would destroy it and lead to an ever-growing gap between the rich and the poor. This and the fact that the government was very powerful led the students to the conclusion that the German people had to become more democratic and that a new opposition had to be formed. Authority, they believed, addicted people. The media, however, perceived this new attitude as an anti-democratic movement because it was aimed against the society that they believed was democratic.

Related Topics:
German economy - 1966 - Standard of living - Rich - Poor - Democratic

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Through their critical work on many different topics and the reactions of the public and the government itself, these main goals formed in the minds of the students:

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? Changing society for more democracy

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? Dealing with Germany's and their parents' Fascist past

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? Reforming the curriculum.

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? Stopping the war in Vietnam and improving the horrible conditions in the Third World.

Related Topics:
War in Vietnam - Third World

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? Keeping the government-controlled mass media (especially publications from the ?Axel Springer? publishing house) from controlling the masses and blocking the freedom of press.

Related Topics:
Mass media - Axel Springer - Freedom of press

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? Stopping the planned German emergency legislature from being passed.

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The first goal was the source of all the others and thus the most important in their minds.

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To summarise, the students rejected the existing circumstances with the unequal balance of wealth, social injustice, intolerant decision-making processes. They felt the need to overcome and change these things.

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