West Germany’s first recession triggered a rightward political realignment in 1966.

Evidence

In response to the first recession that disturbed the course of the economic miracle, the governing coalition between the CDU/CSU and FDP had collapsed in the autumn of 1966. The right-wing extremist party, the NPD, founded two years before, had been elected to the state parliaments of Hesse and Bavaria with 7.9 and 7.4 per cent of the vote respectively. In this situation, the SPD joined a Grand Coalition with the CDU and CSU at the end of November 1966. — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 2521

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to broad histories of postwar German politics and how economic crises empowered far-right parties — parallels with other mid-century recessions and fascist resurgence literature. — connects to: The radical Right’s ideological themes preceded the economic recession.

Broader Connections

• The radical Right’s ideological themes preceded the economic recession. #complicates (0.75)