GERMANY: The Beginnings

In the battered, bustling towns of Western Germany, campaign posters and blaring sound trucks shattered summer's sluggish quiet. Next week, in their first free general election since Adolf Hitler seized power in 1933, Germans will choose 400 representatives for the Bundestag (lower house) of the Deutsche Bundesrepublik, the long-awaited Federal Republic of Germany. Chief contestants for power: the Christian Democrats and the Socialists. Their platforms had one vital plank in common: sharp criticism of the Western occupation powers.

"Our Lord's Will." West Germany's pre-election atmosphere was scarcely democratic in the U.S....

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!