(Not) Narrating the History of the Federal Republic: Reflections on the Place of the New Left in West German History and Historiography

• Published in: Central European history 2019-03, Vol.52 (1), p.107-124
• Main Author: Häberlen, Joachim C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 20th century; Accounts; Alternatives; Capitalism; Democracy; Democratization; Experiments; German history; Governmentality; Historiography; Jarausch, Konrad H; Left wing politics; Liberalization; Narratives; Neoliberalism; Radicalism; Rebellions; Transformation
• ISSN: 0008-9389; 1569-1616
• DOI: 10.1017/S0008938919000074

This article offers a critical engagement with narratives of the Federal Republic and with the role that the radical, extra-parliamentary left played within such narratives from the late 1960s into the 1970s. The article first discusses success stories of the Federal Republic that highlight the country's democratic achievements, as well as more critical accounts that focus on the emergence of a neoliberal regime of governmentality. In both accounts, the radical left plays a pivotal role, either because the left contributed to the democratization of the Federal Republic, or because it helped transform capitalism into its current neoliberal form. The article then challenges such narratives by suggesting an interpretation of the alternative left during the 1970s as a space for experimentation, and by highlighting the open-endedness of such experiments. Gaining a sense for this sort of experimentation means that the alternative left can be embedded neither in a narrative of successful democratization nor in one of neoliberal transformation. Finally, the article examines the urban revolts of 1980-1981, in particular ones that took place in West Berlin. Activists in these revolts celebrated the exuberant intensity of the moment but cared less about future changes. The challenge here is to understand the intensity of a moment that cannot be embedded in a narrative with a clear outcome. The article thus presents perspectives on the history of the Federal Republic that defy easy integration into any narrative framing. Der Aufsatz bietet eine kritische Untersuchung üblicher Narrative bundesrepublikanischer Geschichte und der Rolle der außerparlamentarischen Linken in den späten 1960er und den 1970er Jahren in diesen Narrativen. Der Aufsatz diskutiert zunächst sowohl Erfolgsgeschichten der Bundesrepublik, die die demokratischen Errungenschaften des Landes betonen, als auch kritischere Erzählungen, die die Herausbildung einer neoliberalen Gouvernmentalität betonen. In beiden Erzählungen spielt die Linke eine tragende Rolle, sei es, weil die Linke zu einer Demokratisierung der Bundesrepublik beigetragen habe, sei es, weil sie bei der Verwandlung des Kapitalismus in seine gegenwärtige neoliberale Form halfen. Der Aufsatz hinterfragt diese Narrative indem er vorschlägt, die Alternative Linke der 1970er Jahre als einen Experimentierraum zu betrachten, und hervorhebt, dass der Ausgang solcher Experimente stets offen war. Einen Sinn für dieses Experimentieren zu gewinnen be