Word: barzel
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...Brandt's Social Democratic Party and 8.9% for his coalition partners, the Free Democrats. Emboldened by those results, and heartened by the defection of yet another Free Democratic Deputy from the ruling coalition, the Christian Democrats decided to try to replace Brandt with their own leader, Rainer Barzel, 47, a tough and clever political infighter who affects long sideburns and flashy suits...
...German people. The Christian Democrats want guarantees of free travel between the two Germanys and Soviet recognition of the Germans' right to self-determination. To satisfy those conditions, the treaties would have to be rewritten, which the Soviets would surely refuse to do. Christian Democratic Leader Rainer Barzel takes a sanguine view of the matter. Failure to ratify the treaties, he insists, will not result in "the collapse of the world, only the collapse of the Brandt government...
...Barzel drastically understates the ominous potential for diplomatic damage. If the treaties go, so will the Berlin agreement: that could lead to resumed East German harassment of traffic between West Germany and West Berlin and, at worst, could bring on another Berlin crisis. There would be an immediate break in the painfully protracted negotiations between West and East Germany on establishing normal relations between the two governments, and an end to Bonn's talks with Warsaw and Prague...
...national election campaign on the issue of Ostpolitik. Since polls show a slim majority of West Germans in favor of the treaties, the Chancellor could be returned with an enlarged majority, and push the treaties through. But West Germans are also deeply worried about rising prices and unemployment, and Barzel could win on the issue of economic policy alone. That would leave the Christian Democratic leader in the awkward position of trying to put together his own version of Ostpolitik in the face of open anger on the part of the Soviet Union and displeasure among West Germany...
...Social Democrats are not unhappy about Barzel's victory. An Allensbach Institute opinion poll in July gave Schröder 41% of the vote against 43% for Brandt; Barzel got only 34% v. 50% for the Chancellor. But there are those who believe that Barzel can be sold to the public, much as Richard Nixon...