The Role of West German Political Parties, Foreign Policy Elites, and Public Opinion in Opposition to West German Remilitarization, 1948-1955

The study examines the policy positions of West German foreign policy elites in opposition to rearmament during the period 1948 to 1955. It also determines to what degree the foreign policy elites cooperated with one another beginning in 1949 in countering the Adenauer government's pro-rearmament stance.The methodology used in this study has been comparative in nature. The study considered how effective each organization was, relative to other organizations with similar aims, in convincing the West German public of its message.There was little cooperation between the elites in opposing official West German policy, although several attempts were made by those in opposition. A diversity in motives and the inability to coalesce in opposing government policy resulted in a lack of political impact. The rapid economic recovery of West Germany was also a factor in the ineffectiveness of the opposition.