Half a Million Public Enemies

In 1950, when the Cold War had started, the West German government planned the building of a new army. This project caused huge protests among the war tired population. The government considered the protesters to be public enemies. About 500.000 men, women and children were affected by political persecution, which often was carried out by police men, public prosecutors and judges, who had already been on duty during the Nazi Time. Many activists were thrown into prison, partly for a very long time. Finally the whole political movement was smashed down by this persecution, which is unprecedented in western democracies. (Roadside Dokumentarfilm)