page_title: West German student movement
section_title: New political movements
hierarchical_section_title: West German student movement / Background / New political movements
caption_attribution_description: 2001_03_0275.0011 Ludwig Binder: Studentenrevolte 1967/68, West-Berlin; veröffentlicht vom Haus der Geschichte
context_page_description: The West German student movement or sometimes called the 1968 movement in West Germany was a social movement that consisted of mass student protests in West Germany in 1968, participants in the movement would later come to be known as 68ers. The movement was characterized by protesting students' rejection of traditionalism and of German political authority which included many former Nazi officials. Student unrest had started in 1967 when student Benno Ohnesorg was shot by a policeman during a protest against the visit of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran. The movement is considered to have formally started after the attempted assassination of student activist leader Rudi Dutschke, which sparked various protests across West Germany. The movement would create lasting changes in German culture.
context_section_description: The more leftist wing of the SDP in the Socialist German Students (SDS) split from the party line and joined the Außerparlamentarische Opposition. Social movements grew as younger people became disillusioned with the political establishment, worrying it was reminiscent of Germany's Nazi past. West Berlin became a center for these movements since many left leaning people would take residence in West Berlin to avoid the military draft that was in effect in the rest of West Germany.
  These social movements were also becoming popular among the youth of West Germany. The movements included the opposition to the United States involvement in the Vietnam War, opposition to consumer culture, liberation for the third world, and criticisms of middle class moral values. Some were embracing communal lifestyles and sexual liberation. All these various social movements and the non-parliamentary organizations that hoped to spear head them grouped together as the Außerparlamentarische Opposition.
caption: Protest against the Vietnam War in West Berlin in 1968
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