Spiritual and moral turn

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The spiritual and moral turnaround , also a spiritual and moral renewal , was a political slogan issued by Helmut Kohl (CDU). In his coalition paper, Kohl promised to bring about an "intellectual and moral turnaround ", which became the catchphrase of his policy in the early years as German Chancellor .

In the 1980 Bundestag election campaign , Kohl had already spoken of the need for a "spiritual and moral turnaround" and thus distinguished himself from the then Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt , whom he held up against to surrender to the zeitgeist . A federal government - according to Kohl - must demonstrate "political and intellectual leadership" through decisive action. Kohl's first government statement took up these thoughts, but used the term "spiritual and moral challenge". Kohl avoided the word “turnaround” out of consideration for the old and new Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher (FDP).

The ideas of what was meant by “spiritual and moral turn” were different. Conservatives associated the “spiritual and moral turn” with a strengthening of conservative values. Looking back, Heiner Geißler spoke of fundamental changes in important political areas from 1982 onwards: “You can call this process and its results a spiritual and moral turnaround or use less solemn terms for it.” In 2012, the overthrown Helmut Schmidt said in retrospect in an interview in 2012 that it was did not turn things around, but the social-liberal policy was continued and "only the staff was replaced".

The term soon found criticism and satirical use. In the reporting on the Flick affair in particular , it was "maliciously stated that the moral of the spiritual and moral renewal is not far off." According to the impression of the American news magazine Newsweek, Kohl's statement that the republic was not for sale affected many German citizens “Like the hollow phrase of a man who came into office two years ago with the claim to a spiritual and moral renewal.” The journalist and social scientist Hans Uske translated the words “spiritual” with “values ​​and virtues” and “moral”, not without a satirical undertone "With" willingness to make sacrifices ". The latter was asked by those who Uske counted among the losers in the renewal of the social market economy carried out by the Kohl government , which his opponents branded as social cuts.

At the Epiphany meeting of the FDP in 2010, a few months after his party had been elected to the government, Guido Westerwelle spoke of an “intellectual and political turnaround”. By this he meant the orientation towards performance, the reduction of bureaucracy and a stronger appreciation of the opportunities of modern technologies.

The Merkel biographer Gerd Langguth said in an interview in 2010: “Incidentally, there is now the realization that the state will take over if it promises a political and moral turnaround, as Kohl did. A state or a government itself will never be able to redeem this. That can only come from society itself. However, the government representatives must set a good example. "

For Russia , too , President Vladimir Putin announced on December 12, 2012, a spiritual and moral turnaround.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Klaus Stüwe: The Chancellor's Speech: Government Statements from Adenauer to Schröder. Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden 2005, ISBN 3-531-14506-1 , p. 320.
  2. ↑ Karl-Rudolf Korte (ed.): “The Chancellor has the floor.” An analysis of the major government declarations from Adenauer to Schröder. Westdeutscher Verlag, Wiesbaden 2002, ISBN 3-531-13695-X , p. 224.
  3. ↑ Quoted from Karl-Rudolf Korte (ed.): “The Chancellor has the floor.” An analysis of the major government declarations from Adenauer to Schröder. Westdeutscher Verlag, Wiesbaden 2002, ISBN 3-531-13695-X , p. 224.
  4. ↑ Hans Uske: The language of the turning point. Dietz, Berlin 1986, ISBN 3-8012-3017-1 , p. 199.
  5. ↑ Quoted in: Kohl before Cape Horn. Foreign press comments on Kohl's situation in Bonn . In: Der Spiegel . No. 47 , 1984, pp. 18 ( online ).
  6. ↑ Hans Uske: The language of the turning point. Dietz, Berlin 1986, ISBN 3-8012-3017-1 , p. 200.
  7. ↑ bundesregierung.de ( Memento from July 28, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
  8. ↑ Gerd Langguth on Kohl's turn. ( Memento from March 27, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  9. ↑ Russia: Putin calls for a spiritual and moral change . Spiegel Online , December 12, 2012.