Half a Million Public Enemies

Soon after the end of World War II, when the Cold War had started, the West German Government planned the building of a new army. This project caused huge protests among the war tired population. The government reacted quickly: Within a few weeks a political criminal law, constructed after the example of the Nazi law, was invented. All citizens, who were against the rearmament or for the reunification of West and East Germany, could be persecuted now as public enemies. The Communist Party of Germany and other opposition organizations were forbidden. About 500,000 men, women and children were affected by political persecution, which often was carried out by police men, public prosecutors and judges, who had been trained during the Nazi time. About 10,000 men and women were punished with imprisonment, partly for a very long time. Finally, the whole political movement was smashed down by this persecution, which is unprecedented in western democracies.