| The 70s | |
| Fashion | In the 70s
there is the big Freedom. The 68er made their revolution, but this is already
history. Everybody wears his hair long. The few who don't, are really ancient.
The Bundeswehr is seriously discussing hairnets for the soldiers.
The skirts are now so short, that an enhancement is not possible. Consequence: After the "Mini" the "Maxi" shall become fashion, but it never succeeds very much. Only after 1975 the hems slip more permanently under the knee. Blouses are cut skin-tight and the girls wear them on naked skin. The fashionable ones with three buttons open. Jeans, T-Shirt, Parka and tennis-shoes are the uniform of youth. If I do remember this right, the flared trousers are only "in" at the beginning of the Seventies. After that there are wide cut trousers for the girls, boys are still wearing tight trousers, but more and more without the flare, and for that not only the bicyclists are eternally thankful. |
| Music | Tommy
Gottschalk presents "Pop nach Acht" on radio-station Bayern 3. We hear the
Beatles in School during the music-lessons as "modern Classic" Nobody talks
anymore about the Rolling Stones. Who is still remembering T-Rex?
"Alles klar auf der Andrea Doria..." sings Udo Lindenberg Genesis, Kiss, Santana, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Queen. Is Jimi Hendrix still living? Janice Joplin? |
| School | Education shall be possible for everyone. Because of the cohorts with a high birthrate the old Schools are not enough. Everywhere are growing new School-buildings, often in fashionable concrete construction. The teachers are young, they often come directly from the university. The "Aufklärungsunterricht" is now part of the Biology-lessons. The classes are "mixed". The teachers discuss with the pupils and want to motivate. Teachers, who think, they can order around are laughed at. Something supermodern is the "Sprachlabor". For the first time, you can not only read the English out of the book, but you can hear, repeat and improve. Teachers and pupils are both impressed. |
| English | You have to take English-lessons in every type of School . "Leit, des müaßts kennen" - "Kiddies you have to know" says the English-Teacher in School. The songs, we hear, are english. Even german bands have english names and sing in english. In TV you see mainly american and english series. Politically and economically the BRD is dependent on Big Brother America. "Deutsches" is dull. Young and modern is everything, which comes from the english-speaking countries. |
| Politics | The 70s are
the decade of the Social Democrates. Willi Brandt, Helmut Schmidt. Both have
still dark hair und look young in opposite to the white-haired, ancient
Politicans, who reigned us till now. A fresh wind blows through the country.
Willi Brandt has the courage, to say, what the youth is anyhow thinking: There
are two german States. With his "Ostpolitik" Brandt is de facto recognising
this.
Germany exists in the form of two
abbreviations: BRD and DDR. A few very oldfashioned ones still talk in public
speeches about the "Reunification". Speaking frankly: No topic for us. And
what, please, shall be "reunited"? The "Deutsche Reich"? Youth has no interest
at all. The BRD gives the same impression
as its capital city Bonn, both look somewhat amorph, without individuality or
history, but anyhow, people do not want to identify with this state. You are a
"Bayer" or "Hamburger", political models are the anglo-saxon countries with
their long democratic tradition. |
| Society | During the
50s most people are busy getting enough for a living. At the end of the 60s
everybody is prospering. In the shops you can buy everything. Wages increase
continually. The SPD-Government help with social benefits, so that even the
workers families have now a little bit more than enough.
Everybody can study. More and more people travel. Gradually, every family has a car, you see now in nearly every house a telephone. The 70s generation is a wealthy generation, for the first time everything seems to be open for everyone in limitless freedom. The western world lives in peace, people can not imagine anything else anymore. And also the menace from the East, which looked so real in the 60s, is now not very up to date. The threat to this peace comes from another side: The children oft the affluent society rebell against the one-sided and meaningless consumers world of their parents and the dark sides of it. |
| Dark Sides | The garbage
of the through-away-society grows to mountains. The sewers from Industry go in
the rivers and lakes. Emissions pollute the air. Pollution and ecocide is going
to be the topic of the time and leads to the foundation of the party of "Die
Grünen".
The industry is dependent on steady growing. First breaking-ins lead to increasing unemployment rates. A lot of people have difficulties with the big freedom. What is the sensc of life? Some take refuge with a Guru in India, others take drugs. Sects and drug addiction are becoming a problem. A small group which is especially
in controverse with the self-satisfied BRD and their politicians, increasingly
radicalises, till they are in war with society.What began with bomb attempts on
stores from the "Baader-Meinhof-Bande" culminates in the Kidnapping and Murder
of Hanns-Martin Schleyer and the Kidnapping of the "Landshut" in the "german
autumn" 1977. The terrorists are for a short time a real threat for the BRD.
But in 1977 the conditions are other ones than in 1972. After the model of Greatbritain, France and the USA the police has since 1972 built up a special anti-terror- unit, the "GSG 9". The unit succeeds in freeing the "Landshut"-hostages in Mogadischu. |
| Reality | In the
early 70s the world thinks of peace. Often you hear from "World-Peace".
Demonstrants shout "Never again Fascism, never again War". Some discuss about
the necessity of Bundeswehr and police. Like a shock in 1972 people do get
aware, that good intensions do not help against machine-guns. Sometimes, you
can fight violence only with violence.
This sad truth proves to be true in
1977. The world after that is more desillusioned, more cynic, more brutal, more
"realistic". We fade to grey... |
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