Page 121 - The Making of the German Post-war Economy

94 THE MAKING OF THE GERMAN POST-WAR ECONOMY

that provided reasonably priced and specifically marked goods to the
people. Additionally, a law to prosecute the forcing up of prices was
passed by the Economic Council on 7 October 1948. However, all these
126
measures had mixed success because they were limited in range and
merely aimed at appeasing the public. Thus criticism on Erhard’s
economic policy regarding the timing of liberalisation of the economy
continued. Finally, the trade unions headed by the labour union official
Hans Böckler called for a general strike against Erhard’s economic policy.
Although Ludwig Erhard publicly condemned this procedure and
127
despite scepticism even among unionists, 9.2 million out of 11.7 million
workers and employees in the Bizone observed the work stoppage on 12
November 1948. However, the unions remained moderate in both their
requests and approach as the strike was deliberately called for a Friday in
order to avoid a spontaneous continuation that would interrupt the work
– this overly cautious attitude on the part of the unions was often
criticised at a later stage as some saw a second fateful position of points
and the reason for victory of Erhard’s economic-policy.
128
In view of the worsened public sentiment and the imminent communal
and local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, Schleswig-Holstein, Baden,
Rhineland-Palatinate, Wuerttemberg-Hohenzollern, Lower Saxony and
Berlin in autumn 1948, Konrad Adenauer in particular was concerned
129
with the implications of the actions taken by the Administration for
Economics for election results, and so criticised the insensitivity of the
parliamentary group and its economic policy which triggered the drastic
rise in prices immediately prior to the elections. Anticipating the
130
election campaign of the SPD to attack Erhard’s economic policy,
Adenauer prompted the party and parliamentary group to point out the
achievements of the latter which consequently became subject to political
communication. However, the CDU did not yet apply the notion
131
‘Soziale Marktwirtschaft’ to its election campaign. Instead and contrary to
Erhard’s view who tried to avoid the dualism of control versus market
economy by arguing that such an antithesis was obsolete and a synthesis
provided the better option, the party campaigned with the polarising
132
slogan of ‘Free Market Economy versus Controlled Economy’ which
had the effect of contrasting freedom with control, alluding to the
inglorious years of NS dictatorship. However, it also meant that the CDU
continuously had to clarify it did not opt for free capitalism but a socially
oriented, regulated market economy. Thus the election campaign required
a coordinated cooperation between parliamentary group and party as well
as a coherent communication to the press and the public. Although
Adenauer was committed in this regard and affirmed Erhard’s earlier
133
appeal to the parliamentary group to cooperate with the press in order to