Bündnis 90/Die Grünen
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Bündnis 90/Die Grünen is a political party in Germany. It was formed in 1992 by the Western German party Die Grünen and the Eastern German Bündnis '90. Its main interests are ecology, civil rights, equality between men and women and the chances of immigrants in the German society.
[edit] History
In the 1970s there were a lot of protests against nuclear power in Germany. They found no speakers in the political parties in Germany. So they got the idea to found their own party.
In the election to the European Parliament of 1979 the Sonstige Politische Vereinigung Die Grünen got 3,2 %. The party Die Grünen was founded in Karlsruhe on January, 13th in 1980.
First chiefs of them became Herbert Gruhl and Petra Kelly. After a short while some right-winged persons left the party, so the Greens - in first time neutral in the left-right-wing-scheme - became a left-winged party. It was interested in ecology, but in civil rights, too. A lot of former Anti-Vietnam-War-protesters joined the party. The Greens didn't want to became a normal party - Petra Kelly said "We are the Anti-parties-party". The Greens were pacifistss and strictly against nuclear weapons. They wanted to reach a de-militarized Europe. That brought a lot of sympathy for them. In the early 1980s there were great protests against the installation of US-nuclear middle distance missiles in Western Germany. So they got 8,3% in the Western German federal election of 1983.
The motto of the Greens was ecologically, basic democratic, social, without violence.
After that there were great discussions between people, who wanted to join the government to reach some aims and people who wanted to stay in opposition. In the first period in the federal parliament, all representatives of they Green had to change after half of the period and to give their places to new people. Some didn't accept that. Otto Schily left the Greens. Later Green representatives could have two full periods. Some people critized that and left the party like Jutta Ditfurth.
In 1985 Joschka Fischer joined in the state government in Hesse under the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands. In the old GDR a Green party was founded in 1989 and joined to the Western Greens in 1990. 1990 the Western Green lost its seats in the federal parliament. In 1993 the Bündnis 90 - a civil rights movement from the former GDR - and Die Grünen joined into Bündnis 90/Die Grünen.
In 1998 Bündnis 90/Die Grünen joined into the federal government under Gerhard Schröder (SPD) together with the Socialdemocrats. The Green lost a lot of their values in that time. They voted for joining the Kosovo War and attack Serbia in 1999 and lost their social issues. In 2005 they lost their power in the federal government. Currently they are in opposition in the federal and all state parliaments (exepted some they have no mandat).
[edit] Programme
Die Grünen are intrested in ecology traditionally. So on of their main issues is saving the earth - especially the climate - without using nuclear power.
The second main issue of the Greens is gender mainstraming.
The third issue are the integration and the chances of immigrants in Germany. The Greens want to have only one further school form (Comprehensive School) in every German state instead of two or three different school forms (Gymnasium, Realschule, Hauptschule) with different exams and chances or no chances.
In the foreign policy the Green changed their position in their first period in federal government. Before that time they wanted German soldiers only to allow peace keeping missions of the United Nations, many Greens wanted a de-militarized Germany. After their legislative period - with main influence of foreign secretary Fischer - they accepted to join international military missions e.g. in Afganisthan. But their main issue is to avoid conflicts by developement policy and international cooperation. Main issues of foreign policy are international envoirementional and climate saving projects like the Kyoto protocoll, the developement of the European Union and a reform of the international law like the installing of the International Crime Court in The Hague.
They are left-winged liberals. And the fourth main issue are civil rights.