The pathocratic take-over of the Green Party in Germany

I recently came across a series of articles by Jutta Ditfurth, a co-founder of the German Green Party and one of the three party leaders from 1984-1989. The articles are from 1999 and were published later as part of an even more comprehensive book (which I haven't read).

Ditfurth describes in detail how the Green party was founded in 1980 and how it has been taken over by pathological individuals (though the author doesn’t use that term and seems unaware of the concept), namely: Joschka Fischer, Daniel Cohn-Bendit and gang.

Now while reading this, the story of the German Green Party as told by Ditfurth struck me as a textbook example of how a rather positive movement can be co-opted and turned against itself by means of a few pathological figures and a bunch of careerists. Also, the author presents quotes and stories that may charecterize Fischer and Cohn-Bendit as psychopaths. Thus I wanted to share a few thoughts and translate some interesting parts while encouraging those who read German to read the whole thing. You find it here: http://www.mittelstand-pro-nrw.de/PDF/dittfurt_gruene.pdf

So, for those not familiar with German politics, the green party was founded in 1980 by various environment/anti-nuclear/left activist groups. They clearly saw the corruption and undemocratic structures in the traditional parties and therefore implemented basis-democratic structures, flat hierarchies, obligation to donate a part of the salary to the party (when in parliament) instead of taking donations from lobby groups, a separation of power, the right of every member to take an active part in the discussion/decision process etc. Apart from environmental policy, they were also pursuing a strict anti-war and anti-corporate power course. The author refers to the mindset at the time as “undogmatic left”...

1982: Enter Joschka Fischer, Daniel Cohn-Bendit and gang. 16 years later, in 1998, Fischer finally became foreign minister and convinced the Germans (with outrageous lies, as we know today) of going to war in Kossovo, thus breaking the German taboo of participating in any war that existed since the Nazi time, while his colleagues in the “new” green party negotiated a deal with the nuclear power plant owners that basically gave them all they want while appeasing the anti-nuclear-power movement.

So, how could that happen? Ditfurth quotes an article by a young Joschka Fischer from 1977, where he writes:

“Stalin was a guy like us, not only that he considered himself a revolutionary, but he also was a character in every sense of the word. We must finally set free this psychological broken-ness... It is our and my darkest chapter, I know, or I suspect, since I myself am terribly afraid of certain things in me. Bartsch and Honka are extreme, but somewhere this is in your character... then it became easily, yes it became the pleasure of beating, a sadistic pleasure in its tendency. [...]"

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And Ditfurth quotes Fischer as having said in the 80’s:

"Let’s be honest: Who among us is really interested in a water crisis in Vogelsberg, in city highways in Frankfurt, in nuclear power plants somewhere, because he feels personally affected?"

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She goes on to explain how the take-over could happen and talks about Daniel Cohn-Bendit:

Fischer’s friend Daniel Cohn-Bendit ruled the [leftist scene] magazine “Pflasterstrand”, that he soon used as a platform to fight against the Greens.

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And further:

One single time, Cohn-Bendit described his role in May ‘68 honestly: “I always was the Rumpelstiltskin. I had the whole stage for myself, I could jump around on it and scream. That was a great pleasure for me.”

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One is reminded of the discussion here about Rumpelstilskin as the archetypical psychopath in the world of fairy tales...

(Cohn-Bendit was also talked about briefly in a session - see http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=12634.0)

More quotes from the articles:

In 1983/84, the Greens in [the German state of] Hesse were lost. The “Realos” around Josef Fischer and Daniel Cohn-Bendit had taken over the party in Hesse. In the following, the party’s archive disappeared. The victors acted like Stalin who ordered that his arch-enemy Trotzki shall disapear from all official photographs. Pitty for the “Realos” that (not only) I mantained and still maintain my own archive.

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At the local elections on 26 September 1982 the Greens got 8 percent and won 9 mandates in the parliament of Hesse. The FDP [Free Democratic Party] hasn’t made it into parilament. A few days ago, they quit the federal SPD-FDP government coalition to overthrow chancellor Helmut Schmidt and to form a coalition with Helmut Kohl and the CDU. So one day later [former chancellor and hero of the left] Willy Brandt talked about a “new majority left of the CDU”. The next evening, Mr. Fischer was standing impatiently at the office of [the magazine] “Pflasterstrand”. [...] It was decided to take over the Greens.

Three years later Barbara Köster, the ex-girlfriend of Daniel Cohn-Bendit, described the event as follows: “They did with the Greens what they have always done. Something develops, they must get a foot in the door, then they must take it over, and then it is destroyed because it has no substance anymore.”

The Greens from Frankfurt didn’t know about their new friends. But soon afterwards the Fischer-Gang entered the meeting room of the Greens. One evening, these men were sitting in front of us like reserve players of a football team, men who before fought us as “ecological nuts”. We asked: “Why suddenly you want to join the Greens?” And they answered: “We are Joschkas friends! Joschka should be elected into the federal parliament.”

We accepted them as new members. We thought that we can convince them. We didn’t see that their interest was wholly different. That’s how an experienced bunch of thugs with an “alternative attitiude” and without scrupels bumped on a basis-democratic party with open structures and fragile alliences. They didn’t come alone.

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One final quote about "chameleon" Joschka Fischer:

One of the brightest minds of the Frankfurt left, Hans-Jürgen Krahl, had a deadly accident in 1970. His footprints were way too big for Joschka Fischer. In order to hold his ground with the left theorists, he played the role of the proletarian anti-intellectual fighter. But when he wanted to become foreign minister, he illustrated his biography in a new way.

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There are a few other interesting facts in the article, like how the CIA approached Ditfurth in the 80’s and she refused, only to learn which of the members of the Green party were already sending them reports, more stories about Daniel Cohn-Bendit, details about the process how step by step the original members of the Greens (including the author) were driven out because they couldn’t stand the lies and conspiracies anymore etc. If anyone is interested, I can translate more parts of the text...


The story of the Greens in Germany could be seen as further proof of how important the study of the "psychopathy/pathocracy" phenomenon is, osit. Maybe the take-over of the Greens - like so many other take-overs of rather good movements - could have been prevented with a better knowledge of psychopathy...

Anyway, fwiw, thanks for reading.

Hi luc,

Many thanks for signaling this and for the download link as well (I can read German).

I've seen it all happen as it was unfolding, but without the pathological frame of reference to guide me then and there. Nevertheless, I came a good way close with my tentative suspicions about the whole thing while only seen from the outside. As a case study of the process of ponerization, take over and destruction, this 'Werdegang' of the German Green Party seems to be almost textbook stuff to illustrate how these affairs come about in real life. And all pretty recent too - so plenty of participants and onlookers still alive for further questioning and more background info. Thanks again for finding and posting this.