52 FRANK BÖSCH AND JENS GIESEKE
kind of “catch-up modernization” that also widened the political and cul-
tural gap between East and West.^24 Comparative studies have pointed out
that the Federal Republic of the 1980s was the most strongly politicized
country in Europe, as measured according to opinion polls about political
interest and rates of participation.^25 In the FRG, participation rates even
topped the traditionally high rates in northern Europe and far surpassed
those in France and southern Europe, although politicization was also
on the march in these countries. Whereas only a student-based minority
had taken to the streets in protest in 1968, millions of people joined in
the protests in the 1980s. Nonetheless, around two-thirds of those up to
twenty-four years of age still favored the alternative milieu.^26
This politicization of society extended well beyond the universities
and the left-wing alternative milieu in the West. As polls from the Fed-
eral Republic indicate, the general interest in politics had been rising
strongly since 1965, reaching a zenith around 1983 after a small slump
in 1973. The parallel climb in the popularity of daily newspapers, news
magazines, and political shows on television also attest to this new kind
of broad public interest in politics and critical debates. The market for
political books also fl ourished, and not just those published by the polit-
ical Left.^27 At the beginning of the 1970s, all the parties saw an increase
in membership, as did the citizens’ initiatives and protest groups. Voter
turnout rates further underscored this shift, topping out at 91 percent for
the Bundestag election in 1972 and remaining at a high level through the
mid-1980s. Women in particular cast their ballots more often and began
to show more political commitment. They also moved closer to the main
political playing fi eld, although they still only constituted less than 10 per-
cent of the Bundestag.
The reasons for this shift were multifold. For one, the expansion of the
educational system contributed to a rise in the number of high school
graduates and students. Young people enjoyed more leisure time, as
well as space, to engage in political discussions, which was coupled with
more enthusiasm. Accordingly, more members of the middle class and
women began to participate in the protest movements. Undoubtedly,
media developments in the West also played a pivotal role. The growth
of critical reporting in the press, on television, and at movie theaters in
the 1960s was a socializing experience for many; a similar kind of criti-
cal refl ection only appeared much later within the educational system.^28
This politicization was accompanied by a shift in attitudes and ideas that
many contemporaries quickly described as a change in values. It was also
linked to increasing criticism directed against existing norms and their
often authoritarian character.^29 In particular, the United States functioned
as both a role model and a bogeyman within this politicization process.