Adenauer's memoirs and the political success of the Christian Democratic Union in post-war West Germany

While serving as the Chancellor of West Germany, Konrad Adenauer put much emphasis on economic stability and good relations with Western powers. Adenauer, who had served as the Mayor of Cologne before the outbreak of World War II, entered the Chancellorship in 1949 at the age of 73, and, therefore, some of his allies in the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) assumed that his tenure would not last beyond his first term in office. However, Adenauer would defy the skeptics and serve as Chancellor until the age of 87. After he left office, he sat down to write his autobiographical work Memoirs 1945- 1953, which, as the title suggests, focuses on his life during the early days of the new republic. This essay will provide examples from these memoirs and the way in which they help to explain the political success of the CDU/CSU in the 1949 elections. Firstly, the economic circumstances of the Western zones in the early post-war period will be considered in relation to how economics influenced the outcome of the elections. Secondly, German demographics in the period will be discussed and the way in which they contributed to Adenauer's victory in 1949.Thirdly, the significance of foreign policy will be considered and the way in which Adenauer's emphasis on Western cooperation would benefit him in the elections