Germany and Europe

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THE Bundestag was the first representation of the German people freely elected since 1933, and the German Federal Government was the first one in that period brought into being by constitutional and democratic methods--which by itself shows clearly that this Bundestag and this Government had to solve problems unique in nature and scope. Normal conditions of life had to be developed out of the slowly receding chaos of the collapse; a central governmental authority had to be created and its public functions completely rebuilt.

Two circumstances above all gave hope of successful achievement to the statesmen who had the responsibility of shaping the destiny of the young state. The first was that twice in a span of 30 years the whole German people had experienced war and defeat. One could expect that after such fearful experiences there would be a new comprehension of the nature and tasks of the state, and that this would provide the foundation for a constructive democratic policy. In this expectation we have not been deceived.

The other circumstance was one which was not limited to Germany. This was the feeling that social and political progress had not kept pace with technological advances and that there must be a reconstruction of human relations in the international sphere, that is, in the relations among nations. In all the Western nations there developed a conviction that only coöperation in a larger framework could overcome the recurrent crises within the Western World and create security for the future. A good part of the ruins left from the war had already been cleared away when the Federal Government took up its work in the autumn of 1949. Constructive progress had already been accomplished in the administration of the German states, districts and communities. And once plans directed exclusively toward subjugation had proved senseless and dangerous, the occupying Powers had helped to give a new structure to the initially impotent and formless society.

The extraordinary vitality of the German people, who were determined not to sink down in ruin, and the efforts put forth in all segments and strata, made a good start possible. Whoever lived through the years from 1945 onwards in Germany could not doubt the capacities of the people...