Chronicle Volume 1975

After the spirit of reconstruction in the 1950s and the enthusiasm for technology in the 1960s, many people are now increasingly reflecting on inner values, tradition and history. This can be found in literature, architecture and urban planning; 1975 is also the year of monument protection. The United Nations has proclaimed 1975 the Year of the Women. The focus is primarily on the situation of women in the Third World. The state takes a restorative approach in the mid-1970s. The spirit of political optimism of the late 1960s and early 1970s is gone; instead, the aim is to preserve what has been achieved. The change in the Chancellor's office from Willy Brandt to Helmut Schmidt in 1974 also made this clear in terms of personnel. A colonial war finally comes to an end in 1975. After almost 30 years of fighting in Indochina, the South Vietnamese regime capitulates to the communist Viet Cong on April 30th. Shortly before, communists had already taken power in Cambodia and Laos. With the end of the Vietnam War, the Middle East became more of a focus of world attention. In Lebanon, the conflict between Muslims and Christians developed into an open civil war; tensions between the Arab states and Israel remained despite an Egyptian-Israeli rapprochement. In Europe, however, a positive development was emerging: in Helsinki, almost all European states signed the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).

The chronicle shows these events, but it also shows how people lived back then and brings history to life. This makes the 1975 chronicle a unique gift.