Word: schmidts
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...both his allies and his detractors, the downfall of the Schmidt government came as no real surprise. His own Social Democratic Party was riven with disagreement over his unyielding support for NATO's defense policy in Western Europe. His curiously low-keyed reaction to the Soviet-backed imposition of martial law in Poland had brought him into conflict with the Reagan Administration as a more fundamental dispute with Washington emerged over differing approaches to the Soviet Union. A burgeoning pacifist and environmental movement, strongly supported by West German youth, found Schmidt a tempting political target, draining support from...
...national elections, in contrast to an alltime low of 31.4% for the Social Democrats and a dangerously thin 5.1% for the Free Democrats. The Greens-Alternative List, an amalgam of leftists, environmentalists, pacifists and other radical groups, would win an unprecedented 9%. The result represented a dramatic decline for Schmidt's coalition, which had won a combined 53.8% in October 1980, vs. 44.5% for the Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union...
...simmering battle over the budget flared anew two weeks ago when Economics Minister Otto Lambsdorff, one of four Free Democrats in the Cabinet, announced that West Germany's growth rate in 1983 would not be 3%, as previously stated by Schmidt, but less than 2%, increasing the budget deficit by $4 billion. To make matters worse, Lambsdorff the week before had openly endorsed the F.D.P.-Christian Democrat alliance in Hesse, declaring that "the Hessian voter will decide what he thinks of a change of the Free Democrats into another coalition." His remarks infuriated Schmidt, who lashed out at Lambsdorff...
Faced with open rebellion, the Chancellor decided to act. Without warning Genscher, he met with President Karl Carstens and informed him that he intended to call for new elections. Schmidt's strategy was a long shot. First, he would have to ask for a vote of confidence in the Bundestag. By instructing S.P.D. members of parliament to abstain, he would arrange to lose the vote. Schmidt could then call for new elections, which would have to be held within 60 days. But there was one catch. Schmidt would need Opposition Leader Kohl's support for new elections. Otherwise...
During a 45-min. meeting with Kohl Thursday evening, Schmidt tried to convince him that a quick, clean contest might result in an absolute Christian Democratic majority-and a mandate to govern without F.D.P. support. Kohl was noncommittal. Schmidt then summoned Genscher and told him pointblank that he had "lost political confidence" in the Free Democrats...