Page 114 - The Making of the German Post-war Economy

THE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC/ SOCIAL UNION 87

not have a convincing manifesto mentioning a concrete economic model
by which it could appeal to the electorate – that was in contrast with the
CDU in Berlin which advocated general socialisation.
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Within a few weeks, however, Adenauer submitted his economic
concept for the reorganisation of the economy entitled Die CDU zur
Neuordnung der Wirtschaft (The CDU’s Position on the Reform of the
Economy), which enabled and finally constituted a compromise between
the intra-party parliamentary groups by pursuing a third path between
capitalism and socialism. The programme advocating a Gemeinwirtschaft or
collective-oriented economy instead of general socialisation achieved
mutual consent when it was adopted as provisional party platform and
manifesto on 7 January 1947. After the economic and social committee
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of the CDU in the British occupation zone commented on Adenauer’s
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concept in Cologne on 24/25 January, the decisive agreement
supporting socialisation of heavy industry and certain financial institutions
was finally adopted as party platform at the third party convention of the
CDU in the Westphalian town of Ahlen on 3 February 1947. This
programme was binding on the party, but was soon superseded thanks to
Adenauer’s intense efforts, in collaboration with private industry, to move
the CDU leaders away from their infatuation with Christian Socialism.
While the Ahlener Programm provided an advertising slogan for the
upcoming election campaign for the Landtag elections, namely
‘Gemeinwirtschaft’, it deliberately remained vague in further defining a
particular economic model, merely stating that:

The capitalist economic system has not done justice to the national
and social interests of the German people. [...] The German people
shall obtain an economic and social constitution that complies with
the right and the dignity of the human that serves the spiritual and
material composition of our people and secures the internal and
external peace. [...] The new structure of the German economy must
proceed from the assumption that the time of unlimited power of
private capitalism is over. But we must also avoid replacing private
capitalism with state capitalism, which would be even more
dangerous for the political and economic freedom of the individual.
A new economic structure must be sought which avoids the mistakes
of the past and which allows the possibility of technical progress and
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creative initiative of the individual.

This formulation enabled the integration of socialist-oriented party
members while simultaneously distancing the CDU from its political
opponent, namely the SPD and its socialist agendas. Nonetheless, the