ABSTRACT
This chapter examines critically the question of whether democratically elected governments in general—and the government of the Federal Republic in particular—really do not, in the form and substance of their security policy, represent the will of the majority of the citizens. The impact of the succession of governments is to be examined, in addition to the extent to which the elected parliaments in Western democracies represent the majority of public opinion. Given the economic stagnation in some areas, defense policy could be financed only by means of exponential increases in government indebtedness. The emotional public response, particularly among those directly affected, has shown the federal government that any further cuts in the social sector could be made only in the face of very great opposition. The Social Democratic party has taken to quoting Professor Kurt Biedenkopf as chief witness in support of its view that the federal government is acting "against German interests."
