Frankfurt made capital of West Germany

Hermanubis

wikipedia said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonn
During World War II, Bonn had some military significance due to its population.

Following World War II, Bonn was in the British zone of occupation, and in 1949 became the capital of West Germany. The choice of Bonn was made mainly due to the advocacy of Konrad Adenauer, a former Cologne Mayor and Chancellor of West Germany after World War II, who came from that area, despite the fact that Frankfurt already had most of the required facilities and using Bonn was estimated to be 95 Mill DM more expensive than using Frankfurt. Because of its relatively small size for a capital city, Bonn was sometimes referred to, jokingly, as the Bundeshauptstadt ohne nennenswertes Nachtleben (Federal capital with no night-life worthy of the name) or the 'Bundesdorf' (Federal Village). [1]
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So what if Frankfurt was chosen as the capital of West Germany instead?
 

Elidor

Frankfurt has the potential to remain the capital till this day, and it may never get moved to Berlin. This will probably signify a complete break from the past for the Germans,. as post-45 Frankfurt is also the most "Americanized" German City. Due to this and numerous butterflies, German culture can change considerably.
 

carlton_bach

The significance of setting up shop next door to the US occupation authorities and Rhine-Main AFB would be lost on nobody, of course. It would be interesting, though, especially for the cultural interplay. Frankfurt was an important banking hub already, and while it's not a given it would grow to the same status it has today, it would mean more influence for the financial industry living door-to-door with the governing classes.

GDR propaganda would love it, but they were going to do their worst anyway.

Frankfurt is still not an industrial city, but it is going to give the government officials and representatives a better taste of what the great wide world is like. We're probably going to see less 'family values' politics early on with more MdBs used to seeing foreigners and the urban cultural scene. It's also likely that 1848 will feature more prominently in the official commemoration schedule (it could take the role of a 'safe' democratic history memorial and might reduce the shameless wanking of the Stauffenberg bunch that Bonn indulged in OTL).
 

Kaiser Kris

I would imagine that Frankfurt would become even more important than it is today, and become a bigger city. Of course, trusting the formal city populations in Europe leads to a bad indication of Frankfurt's actual size, but a quick look at Wiki suggests that the 'city' really has a population of about 2.3 million. I'd think that'd go up to at least three million, maybe three and a half.

After unification, Germany might actually end up as one of the few countries with more than one capital. There's so many political and symbolic reasons to have the capital in Berlin, but Frankfurt would also be better established than Bonn could ever be. The other thing is that Frankfurt is fairly central on a north-south axis, and less obviously on the periphery of the country than Berlin is. Looking at Berlin, it's kind of obvious that Germany's lost a lot of territory to the east ..
 

New Yorker

Kaiser Kris said:
After unification, Germany might actually end up as one of the few countries with more than one capital.
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It already is. The legislative and executive authorities are located in Berlin (and Bonn) but the judiciary is in Karlsruhe and Leipzig.

But have we not discussed Frankfurt being the West German capital before? I recall someone said that the city even built a parliament building to entice the government. If this is correct what happened to this building?
 

Faeelin

Banned
I wonder if Frankfurt is a bit too permanent; it's already an important city, with a history as a German capital. Of a sort. Would this make it seem like they're writing off Berlin?
 
Lord Insane

Lord Insane

Faeelin said:
I wonder if Frankfurt is a bit too permanent; it's already an important city, with a history as a German capital. Of a sort. Would this make it seem like they're writing off Berlin?
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From what I've heard, that was one of the major reasons why they ended up chosing Bonn- that it wasn't fitting to be a capital, and so would show that this was just a temporary thing, whereas Frankfurt a.M could be interpreted as a tacit acceptance of non-unification.
 

Susano

Banned
Eh, it was, AGAIN, all Adenauers fault ;)

If Frankfurt is chosen, and reunfication comes, then theres likely a big debatte on whats going to be Capital, and Frankfurt has good chances in it (democratic Paulskirche, Imperial Coronation city versus Prussian militarism, at least thats what the propaganda would make out of it, probably). OTOH, the GDR might just insist that Berlin is made capital, as it did IOTL. Might be Berlin is made officially capital, but Frankfurt remains seat of government and parliament.
 

Susano

Banned
Benkarnell said:
So like Amsterdam, Berlin would be designated the "capital", with this designation being merely symbolic.
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Yeah, like Amsterdam and The Hague. The OTL Reunfication Treaty allowed for that, actualy, but it was decided nontheless that the government should move to Berlin. But if it sits in Frankfurt, not Bonn, a large and more prestigeous city, the govenrment might not move...
 
Thande

Thande

Donor
Quite an interesting WI.

So does it affect modern German political culture (assuming reunification happens on schedule) if the capital de facto remains in West Germany? For instance, would fixing the former East Germany's problems seem less of a priority if all the politicians are living in a rich modern city in the middle of the rich modern part of the country?

(This interpretation is, of course, not at all inspired by how all our governments ignore the North of England...)
 

Susano

Banned
Thats a good point, actually. OTOH, Berlin doesnt seem to get any special treatment at least financially. Basically, "Drop Dead, City" has happened here, too, already ;) OTOH, Berlin is in the spot light, and earns quite well from that. And I dont only mean ebcause of all the government agencies there. Because it is in the spotligght, it could earn a reputation as "poor but loveable", something along those lines. Without that reputatioin it might be even poorer...

Carltons point (especially his last paragraph) are very intersting, though. Stronger featuring of 1848, more contact to international culture and social diversity...

Oh, and @Kaiser Kris: 2.3m? In what, the Metropolitan area? Thats not all one coherent urban aggelmeration with Frankfurt though. If we assume Frankfurt annexing the nearest surrounding cities, it could maybe double its numbers to 1.2m...
 

Emperor Qianlong

Hmm... Frankfurt becoming capital instead of Bonn? I'm sure all Hessians would cheer, but the Rhinelanders (including myself as a Rhinelander-by-choice) would be dissappointed... ;)
 
Thande

Thande

Donor
Susano said:
Thats a good point, actually. OTOH, Berlin doesnt seem to get any special treatment at least financially. Basically, "Drop Dead, City" has happened here, too, already ;) OTOH, Berlin is in the spot light, and earns quite well from that. And I dont only mean ebcause of all the government agencies there. Because it is in the spotligght, it could earn a reputation as "poor but loveable", something along those lines. Without that reputatioin it might be even poorer...
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I was thinking about the whole of the East, not just Berlin...from what I gather, in OTL there has been some resentment at the continuing disparity in quality of life between East and West, and to some extent the Linkspartei (or whatever it's called this week) is seen as the Eastern protest vote, is that accurate? But in OTL you have an Ossie as Chancellor now, which makes a big difference...in TTL, I wonder if a more significant Eastern protest party might arise, and East and West German politics become largely disconnected on party lines, like Great Britain vs. Northern Ireland in the UK.

OTOH, there might then be more incentive to get an Easterner as Chancellor earlier on to heal divides, whoever succeeds Helmut Kohl. Or maybe just as president, would that be symbolic enough?
 

Susano

Banned
Hah, yes. Considering the President has no power anyways, they could elect an Eastern Woman. Ideally also Black and Jewish, but thats difficult to get here, of course.

I dunno if things would be really worse, though. Okay, symbolically the East Germans might feel more left alone, but in actual financial and economcial matters I dont think there would be a great difference. Of course, that symbolism and public sentiment might still lead to an even stronger position for PDS/Linke. Hm, maybe as counterweight of the government staying in Frankfurt, the Federal Constitutional Court and the Federal Court Yard can return from Karlsruhe to Leipzig. Leipzig has the juidical tradition, Karlsruhe was just a place they picked in West Germany...
 
Thande

Thande

Donor
Susano said:
Hah, yes. Considering the President has no power anyways, they could elect an Eastern Woman. Ideally also Black and Jewish, but thats difficult to get here, of course.

I dunno if things would be really worse, though. Okay, symbolically the East Germans might feel more left alone, but in actual financial and economcial matters I dont think there would be a great difference. Of course, that symbolism and public sentiment might still lead to an even stronger position for PDS/Linke. Hm, maybe as counterweight of the government staying in Frankfurt, the Federal Constitutional Court and the Federal Court Yard can return from Karlsruhe to Leipzig. Leipzig has the juidical tradition, Karlsruhe was just a place they picked in West Germany...
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Is that something that's likely in OTL, though, or is it you suggesting it because it involves the HRE and it's cool? ;) Like if we were to suggest that Britain use Winchester as a temporary capital because historically it used to be the capital - most people, even most politicians, probably don't know that and wouldn't appreciate the gesture.
 

Susano

Banned
Thande said:
Is that something that's likely in OTL, though, or is it you suggesting it because it involves the HRE and it's cool? ;) Like if we were to suggest that Britain use Winchester as a temporary capital because historically it used to be the capital - most people, even most politicians, probably don't know that and wouldn't appreciate the gesture.
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Well, SOME agencies will move eastwards anyways. Diferent to F or GB, Germany doesnt have all government agencies in the capital anyways, but they are spread over the country. Or, to be precise, at the moment of reunifcation, spread over West Germany, and that is something that will have to be changed. Its entirely possible that somebody then makes the suggestion "Hey, if the government doesnt move, how about the courts?". Its as likely that doesnt happen of course. However, Karlsruhe was the "temprary" "provisorium", while Leipzig really (not in the HRE, in the Kaiserreich and in Weimar) was the courts traditional city. I do admit it shows my bias for at leats some traditional symbolism ;) but as said, IMO it could happen as compensation, so to say, for the government notmoving, as quite many agencies will move anyways.
 
Thande

Thande

Donor
Susano said:
Well, SOME agencies will move eastwards anyways. Diferent to F or GB, Germany doesnt have all government agencies in the capital anyways, but they are spread over the country. Or, to be precise, at the moment of reunifcation, spread over West Germany, and that is something that will have to be changed. Its entirely possible that somebody then makes the suggestion "Hey, if the government doesnt move, how about the courts?". Its as likely that doesnt happen of course. However, Karlsruhe was the "temprary" "provisorium", while Leipzig really (not in the HRE, in the Kaiserreich and in Weimar) was the courts traditional city. I do admit it shows my bias for at leats some traditional symbolism ;) but as said, IMO it could happen as compensation, so to say, for the government notmoving, as quite many agencies will move anyways.
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Oh, I think the idea that they would move some agencies to the East to throw the Ossies a bone (heh, triple linguistic pun! :D ) is plausible, I was just questioning your reasoning for picking that city in particular.
 
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