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WI: Rainer Barzel topples the Brandt government

N

neonduke

Kenneth Kaunda drip
Was having a read over the Ostpolitik article on wikipedia and came across the CDU's attempt to bring him down via a constructive vote of no confidence. The attempt failed by only 3 votes, with much whispering of Stasi involvement in bribing CDU members to keep Brandt in office.

What if the votes succeeds and Brandt is out as Chancellor. Ostpolitik is at the very least stalled, if not stopped entirely. I have doubts how stable a CDU government would be due to the the fact that in OTL Brandt called an election and won a convincing victory, but how does 1970s West Germany develop with Ostpolitik stopped? Where do West/East relations go and can Brandt mount a successful comeback?
 
Well, the joke's on him once the first Oil Crisis hits in 1973. But before, he'll have to be reelected. Hm. The 1969 election was in late September '69, so the regular election would have to be (according to German laws) between late July and late September '73. But the Yom Kippur War which triggered the Oil Crisis was in October '73... let's say it doesn't get butterflied away.

IOTL the Germans didn't like him trying to take over that way. Not sure how much the public knew about the machinations at that time, and waht the rumor mill said. Might well be that he gets the doubtful honor of becoming the shortest-term chancellor of post-WW2 Germany. Helmut Schmidt in 1973?
 
neonduke said:
Would Brandt be able to hold on as SDP leader and have another tilt in '73? OTL he had a very successful election in 1972 but then he was gone very quickly in the wake of the Gulliame affair and his own personal issues. Maybe here he feels he has a point to prove and stays to fight on?
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The Ostpolitik was the big thing he wanted to do, so he'd stick on for that. Other than that...

He stayed SPD boss IOTL too, a German chancellor doesn't have to be boss of his party. It's a decision: More workload, or the risk of infighting?
 
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