Many West Germans were dissatisfied with the policies of the Grand Coalition. In their eyes, West Germany was a small-minded and authoritarian society, and they were determined to change it. Domestic and foreign policy issues provoked their dissent. The so-called extraparliamentary opposition formed a front against the "establishment." At the beginning of the 1970s, a small, dissatisfied group went underground, having decided to engage in an armed struggle against the state. This path led to isolation. The group could not win over a majority of West Germans with their attacks and murders. |  | The protesters who did not espouse violence felt inadequately represented by their parliamentarians. In their eyes, this justified the right to civil disobedience. The peace and the environmental movements mobilized hundreds of thousands of protestors. The demonstrators saw that by waging a committed campaign they could successfully change policy in their favor.
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