These requirements were an immediate reaction to what had happened under the National Socialist dictatorship, at whose hands most of the “politicians of the Federal Republic’s first hour” had suffered, those men and women who were now rebuilding Germany on the democratic traditions of 1848 and 1919 and in the spirit of the “revolt of the conscience” of 20)uly 1944. All of them personified in the eyes of the world the “other Germany” and won the respect of the occupying powers.

They included the first Federal President Theodor Heuss (FDP), the first Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (CDU) and Economics Minister Ludwig Erhard (CDU), the “father” of the “economic miracle”, but also the outstanding leaders of the SPD opposition such as Kurt Schumacher, Erich Ollenhauer and Carlo Schmid. It was they who gave the new party system in western Germany its unmistakable charac-j-er. Gradually, German involvement and political influence increased (Occupation Statute, Petersberg Protocol, membership of GATT, accession to the European Coal and Steel Community). In July 1951 the United Kingdom, France and the United States declared that Germany was no longer a war enemy. The Soviet Union did the same on 25 January 1955.