The Society of the Federal Republic of Germany

(Last modified March 2010)

(In collaboration with Julia Chaker-Agha, Swenja Granzow, Jennifer Gronau, Iska Niemeyer, and Karin König)

Despite the wealth of publications centering on what is generally referred to in Germany as the "1968 movement" and the unabated interest of scholars and the general public, there is still a lack of reliable information on the actors who played an important role in the history of the German New Left. Numerous studies have been published in German but, with the exception of a few prominent figures, information is not available for most of these individuals on their family background, socialization, religious affiliation, membership in various organizations, and so forth. This deficit is all the more surprising since there is considerable speculation about issues such as who was active in which faction within Germany’s extra-parliamentary movement of the late 1960s.

Which birth-year groups do the 1968ers belong to, and what percent of each was actually involved? What was their typical social background? What characterized their socialization, and what role did Germany’s Nazi past play? What other factors were significant in shaping their political and ideological self-understanding?

A data base that is now being established will systematize answers to these and other questions, categorizing individuals according to their intellectual and ideological profile and their role as political actors, mentors, critics, icons, and idols. Recognizing which protagonists played a role in these various categories will further our understanding of the political and socio-cultural dynamics unleashed in this key period in post-1945 German history.