Oldal 2 [2]
O- July 52
- page two »
Henee election experts of the three goverrmment parties meet now
regularly and map out their campaign. They have decided to present
only common candidates for elections. The personality to be presenter
in each district will not be selected aecorfing to a system of party
proportions, but on the basis of best chance to obtain victory. Only
by trying to unite all the votes ean the present governmental coalit:
hope to defeat the powerful socialist opposition.
An election campaign however is a costly enterprése.
Resources too have to be pooled, just as much as means of propaganda
and wesse Everywhere a common front hes to appear. In the federal
capital of Bonn, election responsibles and campaigners have no time
to enjoy vacations during the present summer weeks.
= opoosi tions socialists and neuvtralists
strongest power in opposition is Sr. @ehunacher's
SPD, the socialist party. They too are preparing their campaign.
Their main theme is the unification of Germany, an appeal that goes
right to the feeling of the masses.
ith it socialists hope to secure not only workers! votes
and Union support, but also to unite around a same flag all the
divergent neutralist elements, These are Pastor Niemoeller's group
who, having the majority of his supporters beyond the Iron Curtain,
looks for a united Germany as means to strengthen his influence and
powers These are some of the former Nazi, Wehramacht and Abwehr
members, who feel that a united Germany, with a national army would
give them greater power and position than a Western Germany, tied to
to a European Defense System, Finally these are certain powerful
industrialists who hope for a united German market to favor their
production aims. Not for ideological, but for tactical reasons, these
groups are ready for a marxkst alliance. If the socialists are strong
and clever enough to give them founded hopes for a untted Germany s
neutralists will fully support them, regardless of conseggencese
The expelleese
x rokativels new element in German inner polities is formed
by the expellees. They are the several millions of German-speking
population that had to leave their homeland in the East. On the basis
of international ruling, they were to be accepted by Germany on
equal footing with the local population and to be given equality in
civil and political rights. However, in questions of daily life, of
employment and housing, of feeling and traditions, “equal footing"
cannot simply be imposed by law. Deppite a great deal of good will,
much friction and misunderstanding followed necessarily the influx
of such great number of new populations.
Politically speaking, the expelled masses at first split
up according to existing German parties as these most resembled
affiliations and loyalties they previously held in their own country.
Conservatives thus supported the CDW, liberals the FDP, leftists the
SDP, Once the first shock passed however, expellees recognized their
potential strength and the likeness of their interests in the whole
economic and social field. They decided thus, instead of splitting
their efforts, to group and fight untted for their common aim: at
present to seeure the maximum advantages for their people now in
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