Consequences of the return of Nazi elites to the social and political life of the Federal Republic of Germany Cover Image

Konsekwencje powrotów elit hitlerowskich do życia społeczno‑politycznego Republiki Federalnej Niemiec
Consequences of the return of Nazi elites to the social and political life of the Federal Republic of Germany

Author(s): Sebastian Fikus
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Government/Political systems, Electoral systems, Nationalism Studies
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Keywords: Konrad Adenauer; national socialism; NSDAP; authoritarianism; dissidents

Summary/Abstract: When Konrad Adenauer took over the rule in the Federal Republic of Germany, he had to face huge social and economic problems. They were a consequence of the war that the Germans took on each other. In the 1950s, the influence of political parties referring to the NSDAP program was still very strong. Adenauer chose the path of authoritarian governments to master all of these problems. For such a style of governance, he could only rely on conservative elites with a detachment referring to democracy. All this has opened the gate wide since the return of national‑socialist elites to the public and economic life of the Federal Republic. And in this way, in the post‑war reality, former dissidents of the Nazi regime found themselves under the pillory of their former perpetrators. And the consequences of the uncritical integration of functional national‑socialist elites are felt in modern Germany to this day.

  • Issue Year: 2018
  • Issue No: 23
  • Page Range: 9-27
  • Page Count: 19
  • Language: Polish