Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens (German: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), commonly referred to as (The) Greens, 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. Their motto is now, for tomorrow.
Bündnis 90/Die Grünen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Simone Peter and Cem Özdemir |
| Headquarters | Platz vor dem Neuen Tor 1 10115 Berlin |
| Ideology | Green politics |
| European affiliation | European Green Party |
| International affiliation | Global Greens |
| European Parliament group | Greens / EFA |
| Colours | Green |
| Website | |
| http://www.gruene.de | |
History
Early years
In the 1970s, there were a lot of protests against nuclear power in Germany. The protesters had no support in the political parties in Germany. So they got the idea to found their own party.
This Party was founded under the Name Die Grünen in Karlsruhe on January 13th, 1980.
Since their aims were for civil rights and ecology, a lot of former Anti Vietnam War protesters joined the party. The Greens were pacifists and strictly against nuclear weapons. They wanted to reach a de-militarized Europe.
Leaders
First chiefs of the party were Herbert Gruhl and Petra Kelly. After a short while some right-winged people left the party, so they became a left-winged party.
Influence
In the old GDR, a Green party was founded in 1989 and joined to the Western Greens in 1990. In 1993 the Bündnis 90 - a civil rights movement from the former GDR - and Die Grünen joined them.
In 1998 they joined the federal government under Gerhard Schröder together with the Social democrats.
Programme
The Greens are interested in ecology, so one 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.
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 development policy and international cooperation. Main issues of foreign policy are international envoirementional and climate saving projects like the Kyoto protocoll, the development of the European Union and a reform of the international law like the installing of the International Crime Court in The Hague.
Prominent Green politicians
- Joschka Fischer, former foreign secretary and vice chancellor of Germany
- Petra Kelly, pacifist, first chairman of the Greens
- Jürgen Trittin, former environmental secretary of Germany
- Otto Schily, later SPD and home secretary of Germany
- Renate Künast, former secretary for agriculture of Germany
- Hans-Christian Ströbele, lawyer and former chairman of the Greens, only successful direct candidate of the Greens in the Bundestag
- Cem Ozdemir, co-chairman of the Alliance'90/The Greens party
- Winfried Kretschmann, current Minister President of Baden-Württemberg