Public Opinion and Security Policy in the Federal Republic of Germany: Elite and Mass Opinion in a Comparative Perspective

摘要

Recent years showed a remarkable shift in the perception of the Federal Republic of Germany within important allied countries. Whereas the old fear of militarism and authoritarianism almost totally disappeared in the 1970s, neutralism and pacifism are now at stake. The typical critical view of West Germany's standpoint on important security issues can be described as follows: 1. The traditional threat perception has unrealistically diminished. 2. Perhaps the Germans still accept deterrence, but their preparedness for real warfighting, as one precondition for deterrence, is very weak. They tend to replace deterrence and defense by a policy of detente. 3. The close relationship with the United States is in danger and there is a tendency to conform more and more to Soviet ideas and policies. This study examines these views in analyzing public opinion polls, security elite polls, and a recent general elite poll in West Germany; takes a look at the trends in the 1970s; and compares important results with opinions in principal allied countries. The results can be summarized in four areas: (1) threat perception, (2) attitudes toward deterrence/defense, (3) view of detente, and (4) view of the Alliance, especially the assessment of the relationship with the United States. (Author).