If there is no dull and determined effort, there will be no brilliant achievement.
(Xunzi)
The assault started on Tuesday, January 7th, 1964, when Reichsbank President Karl Blessing announced a rigorous lowering of interest rates. How Franz Josef Strauß had wheedled Blessing and his colleagues into accepting such a move could only be guessed. The office building of the Reichsbank was located in the zone formerly controlled by the rioters. Alfred Dutschke was known to have sent a strong picket to the area, where they had gathered within full sight of the bankers – without proceeding to action though.
Next, Strauß pushed a bundle of bills through the Reichstag that considerably lowered all tax rates, inclusive of those which benefitted the individual states. It was unconceivable that the Bundesrat, the second parliamentary chamber, would ever endorse this. But Strauß ordered the new tax rates to be effective at once – pending post hoc approval of the Bundesrat. At the same time, he proclaimed his intention to launch a complete revision of the constitution.
Alfred Dutschke was heard saying this was the last gasp of capitalism. One must encourage the capitalists to exhaust their resources in a final frenzy. It could only lead to the total collapse of the system. One just had to help them along on their path to doom. A new age was dawning… Signals went out to the regional councils to support the Strauß laws – and to put pressure on the state governments.
For the state governments it was a choice between devil and Beelzebub. One was steel feeling the stinging experience of impuissance opposite the rioters. And now, one was confronted with an unruly chancellor, who seemed to be in alliance with the rioters – and was out to change the balance between the realm and the states. His most formidable instrument, the army, was still reforming and exercising, it was true, but they might be committed rather soon – not against the rioters, however…
(Xunzi)
The assault started on Tuesday, January 7th, 1964, when Reichsbank President Karl Blessing announced a rigorous lowering of interest rates. How Franz Josef Strauß had wheedled Blessing and his colleagues into accepting such a move could only be guessed. The office building of the Reichsbank was located in the zone formerly controlled by the rioters. Alfred Dutschke was known to have sent a strong picket to the area, where they had gathered within full sight of the bankers – without proceeding to action though.
Next, Strauß pushed a bundle of bills through the Reichstag that considerably lowered all tax rates, inclusive of those which benefitted the individual states. It was unconceivable that the Bundesrat, the second parliamentary chamber, would ever endorse this. But Strauß ordered the new tax rates to be effective at once – pending post hoc approval of the Bundesrat. At the same time, he proclaimed his intention to launch a complete revision of the constitution.
Alfred Dutschke was heard saying this was the last gasp of capitalism. One must encourage the capitalists to exhaust their resources in a final frenzy. It could only lead to the total collapse of the system. One just had to help them along on their path to doom. A new age was dawning… Signals went out to the regional councils to support the Strauß laws – and to put pressure on the state governments.
For the state governments it was a choice between devil and Beelzebub. One was steel feeling the stinging experience of impuissance opposite the rioters. And now, one was confronted with an unruly chancellor, who seemed to be in alliance with the rioters – and was out to change the balance between the realm and the states. His most formidable instrument, the army, was still reforming and exercising, it was true, but they might be committed rather soon – not against the rioters, however…