"Extraparlamentary Watchdog"? The History of Origin of the Aktionsgemeinschaft Soziale Marktwirtschaft and its Activities to Mediate the Economic System in Germany

While the majority of Germans welcomed the monetary reform and the introduction of the DM, they were very skeptical of a free market economy, particularly in the early 1950s. In view of these difficult conditions, leading intellectuals saw the need to actively promote the social market economy. Through this public relations work, appreciation and acceptance for the new economic order should be achieved. Numerous organizations have emerged from this context. As one of them the Aktionsgemeinschaft Soziale Marktwirtschaft (ASM), founded in 1953, developed into the voice of the ordoliberal representatives. The present paper shows which actors and structures were behind the founding of the ASM and investigate their influence on post-war history as well as their influence on the implementation of the social market economy.