Consumption and Violence: Radical Protest in Cold-War West GermanyCombining the tools of political, social, cultural, and intellectual history, Consumption and Violence: Radical Protest in Cold-War West Germany explores strategies of legitimization developed by advocates of militant resistance to certain manifestations of consumer capitalism. The book contributes to a more sober evaluation of West German protest movements, not just terrorism, as it refrains from emotional and moral judgments, but takes the protesters’ approaches seriously, which, regarding consumer society, had a rational core. Political violence is not presented as the result of individual shortcomings, but emerges in relation to major societal changes, i.e., the unprecedented growth of consumption. This new perspective sheds important light on violence and radical protest in post-war Germany, as previous books have failed to examine to what extent these forms of resistance should be regarded as reactions to changing regimes of provision. Continuing the recently growing interest in the interdependence of countercultures and consumer society, the focus on violence gives the argument a unique twist, making the book thought-provoking and engaging. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Political Protest in the Commercial Sphere | 25 |
Need to Break the Rules | 61 |
The Militant Targeting of an Abstract Enemy | 95 |
Protest against Fare Increases | 146 |
The AntiSpringer Campaign | 168 |
Other editions - View all
Consumption and Violence: Radical Protest in Cold-War West Germany Alexander Sedlmaier Limited preview - 2018 |
Consumption and Violence: Radical Protest in Cold-War West Germany Alexander Sedlmaier Limited preview - 2014 |
Consumption and Violence: Radical Protest in Cold-War West Germany Alexander Sedlmaier No preview available - 2014 |
Common terms and phrases
action activists advertising affluent society AHIS alternative analysis anti-Springer campaign attacks authorities autonomist Axel Springer Baader became Bild blockades bomb boycott capitalism capitalist commodity communication consumer society context critical critiques of regimes December demonstrations department store arson Der Spiegel Der Tagesspiegel destruction deutsche marks Dieter Kunzelmann Dutschke economic emerged fare increases flyer Frankfurt Freiburg Gewalt global groups Gudrun Ensslin Hamburg Herbert Marcuse Horst Mahler Ibid ideology IISG issues of consumption KaDeWe Kraushaar Kreuzberg Kunzelmann leaflets legitimisation Mahler Marcuse Marcuse’s Marx masses ment militant moral Movement 2 June Nazi needs October organisation people’s police political violence production protest movement radical radikal RAF’s realm regimes of provision revolution revolutionary Rote Rote Armee Fraktion September 1988 smashed social movements solidarity sought Spiegel Spontis squatters squatting strategy student Subversive Aktion terror tion Ulrike Meinhof Vietnam West Berlin West German Widerstand workers World Zorns