Beyond the Metropolises: Youth Centre Initiatives in the ‘Youth Revolt’ of 1980–81 in West Germany

Abstract

In December 1980, a new phenomenon of youth unrest was discussed in the West German media: ‘West Berlin — Zürich — Amsterdam — Freiburg — Bremen — Hannover — Hamburg: Jugendkrawalle’ (youth unrest) was the headline of news magazine Der Spiegel, which reported on barricades, broken windows, street fights and ‘rebellious youth’.1 The following year, the German Federal Office of Criminal Investigation (BKA) counted 595 incidents of squatting in empty houses in 153 cities all over the republic.2 Protests against a ‘new housing shortage’ merged with new forms of youth radicalism and a rejection of traditional norms and values. But was the shape of these protests really new, or can we speak of this ‘youth unrest’ as the climax or peak of already-prevalent practises and actions? How do we relate the events of 1980–81 to the movements and youth culture of the 1970s, for example, regarding the degree of politicization?