The Green Party has been examined for the way it came into being and achieved a measure of acceptance in the Federal Republic of Germany. The Greens constitute a third party in what had been generally a two-party system, with the two parties being the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats. In the 1960s and 1970s, numerous local groups, many nonpartisan citizen action groups focused on local problems, and others new social movements addressing national problems being ignored by the national parties, came into being and eventually provided the basis for an alliance in 1980 which launched the Greens as a national party. The issue is how the Greens developed since that time and how they might fare as a movement in the United States.
The Greens achieved some success slowly, after a period of initial infighting, dismal electoral results in 1980, and the loss of its most conservative wing in 1981:
By forcefully and creatively raising the issues of ecology, peace, and human rights, which had been largely neglected by the major parties, the Greens soon overcame the Federal Republic's formidable barriers to the success of new parties (1).
This is one of the prime reasons for the growth of the Greens in Germany, the fact that the party addressed issues ignored by the two major parties. These issues clearly have a constituency greatly interested in them and eager to find a national group to address them.
At the same time, the Greens' federal program was considered radical, requiring the transformation of German society and the German economy. The party challenged the elites in society and the consensus that had been achieved in the post-war era. These elements served as obstacles to growth beyond a certain point, for they challenged the prevailing order and frightened many people at the scope of the changes being sought. One of the reasons for the growth the party has achieved has been the attention given it by the m...