Germany

Taking into account the inevitable element of campaign rhetoric in the SPD’s programme for the 1976 Bundestag election quoted below, there nevertheless were and have continued to be important indicators supporting the then Chanellor Schmidt’s argument for a “Model Germany”. These were first and foremost economic ones - lower inflation rates than elsewhere, a middling level of unemployment, continuing export success and a strong currency - and, indeed, the whole political reputation of Helmut Schmidt during his Chancellorship (1974-82) hinged on his performance as an economic manager. “We have created a Germany, of which many are rightly proud and which enjoys respect in West and East. Domestically there is freedom and solidarity for the individual citizen, and externally freedom and solidarity as a partner: that is the essence of our concept in moving towards the 1980s. Our country owes its high position to the performance and the formative will of its citizens. Our country owes its high position to our successful policy of rapprochement, to our exceptionally high economic performance capacity, to our tightly knit system of social security, to our policy of constant reforms - and to the fact that we have put into practice our intentions about promoting social solidarity and real freedom for the individual person! Therefore, we occupy a top place in Europe and the world. That should remain so.”