Introduction The period following World War II was a tumultuous time for Germany, as it involved the division of the nation into two distinct government entities: West Germany and East Germany. As West Germany emerged as a bulwark against communist-led East Germany – supported by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), it effectively allowed itself to be shaped by the United States as a promoter of democracy in Western Europe. The Marshall Plan, which allowed West Germany to resurrect its status as an industrialized economy, became the cornerstone of U.S. involvement in the nation and ultimately throughout the rest of Europe. As a result, the U.S. military presence grew in Western Europe, effectively serving as a buffer against Soviet influence in Eastern Germany. However, the general prevalence of the United States over West Germany in that period did not necessarily translate into widespread support from the West German public, especially young people (Brokaw 25-36; Turner 148-175). Growing dissatisfaction with the West German university system Germany aroused student anger against the West German government, along with a number of macrocosmic issues of great relevance to each other. Fears about the resurrection of the Third Reich and fascist ideals in West Germany grew with the merger of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in the 1966 general election – a coalition thought to resemble the one-party system under Nazi Germany. Even more significant, however, is growing anti-Vietnam War sentiment and sympathy for the rise of socialism in several parts of the world, both of which allowed West German students to protest against the United States. One could therefore link the involvement of t...... half of the paper...... of the seats in Parliament. While it may have been right and legitimate for West German students to express their dissent against the Vietnam War, their calls did not fit the overall needs of West Germany at the time regarding its economic recovery program, involving strongly the United States. Thus, one could say that the student protests in West Germany were both justified and out of line with Americans – an issue that toed a fine line between the nation's political and economic concerns at the time. Works Cited Brokaw, Tom. The Greatest Generation. New York City, NY: Random House, 1998. Print. The Baader Meinhof complex. Director Uli Edel. Perf. Moritz Bleibtreu, Martina Gedeck, Johanna Wokalek. Constantin Film Verleih, 2008. DVD.Turner, Henry Ashby. Germany from partition to reunification. New Haven, CN: Yale University Press, 1992. Print.