From Red to Green in the Island City: the Alternative Liste West Berlin and the Evolution of the West German Left, 1945- 1990
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ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: FROM RED TO GREEN IN THE ISLAND CITY: THE ALTERNATIVE LISTE WEST BERLIN AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE WEST GERMAN LEFT, 1945- 1990 Keith Duane Alexander, Doctor of Philosophy, 2003 Dissertation directed by: Professor Jeffrey Herf Department of History In October 1978, diverse members of the West Berlin Left founded the Alternative Liste für Demokratie und Umweltschutz (Alternative Ballot for Democracy and Environmental Protection- AL). This new political organization initially stood in fundamental opposition to the parliamentary system. Nevertheless, within three years, the AL had won a significant presence in the West Berlin Parliament, and in 1989, the party joined the Social Democrats in governing West Berlin. This dissertation examines the origins and evolution of this organization. It shows that, from the late 1970s through the end of the 1980s, a significant segment of the radical West German Left grew to accept parliamentary democracy. This occurred through the interplay of several different factors. First, the AL’s parliamentary participation had a moderating, integrative effect on the party and its members. When the radical West Berlin Left decided to try to harness the parliaments in service of their movement, the 5 percent barrier to parliamentary representation forced disparate groups to abandon past dogmatism and find common ground. Once the AL entered parliament, its presence there meant that the issue of violence and its perception of democracy were constantly under debate. Second, the rise of ecological concerns played an important role in the AL’s evolution. Environmental issues proved key in keeping the new organization’s diverse components together. In addition, the AL’s involvement with West Germany’s Green Party meant that the AL was under constant pressure to revise its stance on violence. Finally, historical events, often focused in West Berlin, led the AL’s members increasingly to renounce their radical beliefs. Over the course of the eighties, these events led AL members to distance themselves from violence and question their support for the GDR. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 initially unleashed a flood of utopian hopes by the Left that the end of the GDR regime would mean radical changes in both East and West Germany. When these changes failed to materialize, the AL turned back to parliamentary democracy in a newly unified Germany. Its experiences over the last decade made this not only palatable, but desirable. FROM RED TO GREEN IN THE ISLAND CITY: THE ALTERNATIVE LISTE WEST BERLIN AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE WEST GERMAN LEFT, 1945-1990 by Keith Duane Alexander Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2003 Advisory Committee: Professor Jeffrey Herf, Chair Professor Peter Beicken Professor James Harris Professor John Lampe Professor Marsha Rozenblit © Copyright by Keith Duane Alexander 2003 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would never have been able to complete this dissertation without the help of numerous individuals and organizations. It is my pleasure to acknowledge their help and express my gratitude here. The University of Maryland’s Department of History funded a preliminary research foray to ascertain the availability of sources. The knowledge gained from this trip greatly facilitated obtaining further financial support. The department also supported a year’s work in writing up the results. The Studienstiftung des Berliner Abgeordnetenhauses generously funded a year’s research time in Berlin. In particular, I would like to thank Frau Regina Rahm at the Stiftung for her help and kindness, as well as Dr. Ina Ulrike Paul of the Free University for her cordiality and expert guidance overseeing that year’s research. The archivists at the Archiv Grünes Gedächtnis were extremely helpful and informative. The Green Party’s willingness to share documentation relating to its history was extraordinary and exemplary. Thanks to Steffi Rönnefarth, Christoph Becker-Schaum, Robert Campe, Annegret Werner, Anne Vechtel, and Irmtraud Balkhausen. Similarly, the staff of the Berlin State Committee of the Greens was extremely helpful. In particular I would like to thank Werner Hirschmüller. Thanks also go to Frank Ebert and Tom Sello at the Matthias- Domaschk-Archiv and Dr. Siegward Lönnendonker at the Archiv der Ausserparlamentarischen Opposition. Dr. Martin Jander’s excellent seminar on the New Left at the Free University’s Otto Suhr Institute provided important insights ii into the significance of the student movement in West German history. The staff at the library in Berlin’s Abgeordnetenhaus was also extraordinarily helpful and patient. My gratitude also goes to those who in informal conversations shared their experiences with me and in so doing provided numerous fascinating insights into the world of the K-groups and the AL. Thanks also to Wera Schulz-Naue for copying and sending me documents, and also being willing to help me with housing. I owe a great debt too to Heiko Marten for help with housing, help with German, and for generally being there to help me get oriented. I would also like to thank Dr. Richard Wetzell of the German Historical Institute for help and advice in the initial phases of the project. Professor John Lampe too deserves my gratitude for his guidance and suggestions. Special thanks go to my dissertation adviser, Professor Jeffrey Herf. His comments, criticism, and guidance along the way were a tremendous help. Special thanks also to my wife Eva Olsson for working three jobs to support us both when writing took longer than expected. Finally, thanks to my father for proofreading the manuscript. I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my parents, who have long lent both moral and financial support to my protracted education. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................... ii List of Tables..................................................................................................................... v List of Figures ..................................................................................................................vi List of Abbreviations .....................................................................................................vii Chapter One: The Left and Germany's Long Way West............................................ 1 Chapter Two: Setting the Szene: Berlin, 1900-1970.................................................... 42 Chapter Three: The Red Decade in the Island City................................................... 73 Chapter Four: Crisis and Opportunity: The West Berlin Left, 1978-1981............ 128 Chapter Five: The APO in Parliament ...................................................................... 206 Chapter Six: Striving for Balance: The AL in Parliament, 1985-1988 ................... 296 Chapter Seven: Embracing Power, Embracing Parliament ................................... 366 Chapter Eight: Conclusion and Epilogue................................................................. 427 Figures ........................................................................................................................... 440 References ..................................................................................................................... 450 iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Breakdown of Abgeordnetenhaus delegations by sex, place of birth, and average age, ninth electoral period. .................................................................. 236 Table 2: Breakdown of Abgeordnetenhaus delegations by sex, place of birth, and average age, tenth electoral period.................................................................... 308 Table 3 Breakdown of Abgeordnetenhaus delegations by sex, place of birth, and average age, eleventh electoral period.............................................................. 394 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. The courtyard in the Krumme Strasse where Benno Ohnesorg was shot......................................................................................................................... 440 Figure 2. “We’ll get you taken care of. (Saving the foot is not economical.)”..... 441 Figure 3. “Surely one is allowed to knock…”......................................................... 442 Figure 4. “Surely one is allowed to knock…”.......................................................... 443 Figure 5. Spring Festival in rural Kreuzberg .......................................................... 444 Figure 6. “Get out of my house! This is our house.”............................................. 445 Figure 7. Capitalists as vampires and zombies....................................................... 446 Figure 8. The corrupt and violent police force under the control of the menacing foreigner. ............................................................................................................... 447 Figure 9. "Your home is my cash register". ............................................................. 448 Figure 10. “Come on, I’ll show you my new apartment!"..................................... 449 vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ABC Atomic, Biological, and Chemical AdAPO Archiv der Ausserparlamentarischen Opposition (Archive of the Extraparliamentary Opposition) AGG Archiv Grünes Gedächtnis (Archive Green Memory) AL Alternative Liste für Demokratie