Die Linke und die Burgerbewegung. Die Geschichte einer gescheiterten Beziehung

In: Neue soziale Bewegungen: Forschungsjournal, Band 8, Heft 4, S. 65-79

Abstract

Examines the opportunities for the civil movements that helped bring down East Germany's communist regime to gain political power in the unified Germany & concludes that they are slim. Within the civil movements, there is a tradition of antipolitics & distance from political power. This weak position has not been improved by their relationship with West German leftist parties. Civil movements have not been able to influence the programs & platforms of the West German parties, resulting in a one-sided relationship. This is due in part to the parties' former East German policies (eg, treatment of human rights issues as a strategy of Western imperialism by some Greens) & in part to the parties' tactical view of civil movements (eg, as a source of votes rather than of ideas). Political marginalization of the civil movements has resulted. 16 References. Adapted from the source document.